Chickpeas are a legendary budget staple, both filling and versatile, as well as a great get-out-of-jail card when vegans pop over for tea. But you can’t just sprinkle them into a salad with that damp “tin juice” flavour still clinging to them; you need to wake them up first to celebrate their full potential. That’s why I love to bake them, creating extra-crisp treats supercharged with flavour.
Cumin-spiced chickpeas and spinach (pictured top)
This has a big Moroccan influence, and is powerfully spiced to transform some pretty basic ingredients into a flavour-packed treat. The key is to dress the egg in the infused oil from the pan.
Prep 5 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 1
⅓ x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
Olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
1 handful spinach
1 egg
In a frying pan on a medium heat, add the chickpeas, a glug of olive oil, the cumin, paprika and a pinch each of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the spinach, cook for a further minute and, when the spinach has wilted, set to one side while you fry an egg.
Serve the egg alongside or on top of the spiced chickpeas, finishing with a drizzle of the spice-infused oil from the pan.
Crisp curried chickpeas with saag mash
By baking chickpeas, not only do they take on an amazing, crisp texture, but their flavour gets supercharged, too – a bit like those crisp bits on the outside of a spice-rubbed barbecued shoulder of lamb.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 1
⅓ x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
Olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper
1 large potato, peeled and roughly diced
200g frozen spinach, defrosted
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the chickpeas in an ovenproof dish with a generous glug of olive oil, half the curry powder and a pinch each of salt and pepper, toss to coat, then roast for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, boil the potato chunks in salted water on a medium heat until soft, then mash. Stir in the spinach, a glug of olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of curry powder, then season to taste. Serve the mash topped with the chickpeas and a drizzle of olive oil.
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Recipes adapted from Fast & Fresh One Pound Meals and Meat-Free One Pound Meals, both by Miguel Barclay, both published by Headline at £16.99.
