My friend Guy recently turned the big 4-0, and in honor of his birthday, we all threw him quite the fête. This involved cocktails and nibbles, two of my favorite things. So what to make? The answer was pretty easy: Ina Garten’s Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas. This dip, which my friend Andrea initially made for me a month prior, won me over within the first half-bite. But like I said, Andrea had made it for me, and she has a way with cooking (she does it GOOD). Would I be able to replicate her success? And would the party-goers enjoy it?
Results after the jump…
We start, shockingly, with chickpeas.
Into the food processor they go.
Macro shot!
Behold: homemade chicken stock! Even though Ina says store-bought is just fine, we all know that–
STORE-BOUGHT IS NOT FINE.
Puree the chickpeas and the chicken stock, and huzzah! It’s a monster mash! With no monsters. Unless, of course, you’re petrified of garbanzo beans.
Greetings, tomatoes.
Dice, dice baby.
I need to finely mince some garlic. This calls for a garlic press. For some reason, Ina and many others HATE garlic presses. I don’t see why. They’re amazing! Luckily, Rick Bayless is on Team Garlic Press. TGP 4evah, yo!
Over on the stove, I heat up some olive oil.
The diced tomatoes sauté in the oil for about five mines.
After the tomates have softened, I add the garlic. It’s pretty intense.
We’ve got a solid tomato situation on our hands.
Time to add the chickpeas.
I stir to combine and cook for five minutes — basically to warm the chickpeas through.
Meanwhile, this is a perfect time to grate some parmesan, don’t you think? Don’t tell anyone, but this is actually pecorino romano. Yikes!
What a grate moment.
Plop.
At this point, the chickpeas are off the heat. I chop up some parsley for the mash.
Lemons are squeezed.
It all goes into the pan (as do salt and pepper).
Aforementioned salt and pepper.
Did somebody say salt and pepper?
Shoop!
Anyhoo…All blended together.
In a container and ready to go! (with a little drizzle of olive oil in the middle)
Meanwhile, I had leftover garlic, pecorino, and parsley. Hey, that’s perfect for garlic bread!
I didn’t have any bread available, but I thought I’d experiment with a tortilla instead. Sounds like a decent idea, right?
Never do this.
THE VERDICT (of the chickpea mash, not the horrifying garlic bread quesadilla thing):
Soooo good. Does Ina ever really steer us wrong? No. The dip was a huge hit at the party. Bonus points for being high in protein and low in cholesterol. No butter, people. Whenever Ina pulls off that feat, it’s always cause for a celebration. Definitely work this into your repertoire of party dips.
Full recipe here.
Lost it at “Never do this”
so NOT hummus!
yum!
Since you are a fan of all things chickpea, I must ask, have you ever done oven roasted chickpeas? My sister introduced me to them a few weeks ago. Literally, you take rinsed canned chickpeas, toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for ~ 30 minutes, or until they’re crispy. You can add other spices like cumin, paprika, etc, but really there’s no need. They are insanely delicious and addictive like crack (not that I’ve ever tried crack, but I’ve heard that stuff will hook you fast). Why not try a recipe like this one (with or without the added spices): http://www.chow.com/recipes/30368-spicy-oven-roasted-chickpeas and report back? I think you’ll be happy.