Chick(s)

My latest discovery is chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour - golden yellow with a pungent aroma, it's a great addition in baked goods (additional protein) or as a quick base for savory dishes. I saw a hummus recipe that called for chickpea flour instead of the whole beans - so, so, SO much easier; no boiling beans (which, in my experience, half of them don't cook and the other half are mushy) or opening a can for a watered down, metallic-tasting experience.

This recipe is another quickie, loosely based on panella (a Sicilian fritter) and pakoras (amber-colored, deep fried Indian vegetable fritters). The flavor of chickpeas is quintessentially savory. The courgette (zucchini) adds a green fleck to the batter and rounds out the nutritional value. I'm going to try a batch with baking soda, which should (could) make them puff up like little golden pillows.

Golden Chickpea & Courgette Fritters
Makes approx. 12

1 cup chickpea flour
approx. 1 1/4 cups water (you may need a tad more)
1 grated organic courgette
3/4 tsp sea salt (taste for seasoning before frying - you'd be surprised at how much salt the flour needs)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
(Optional) freshly grated Pecorino Romano or freshly chopped cilantro

- Preheat a frying pan to med-high heat.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Bear in mind that the flour will soak up the water as it sits, so check the batter consistency before you fry them - it should not be too dry (paste-like), but also not so wet it is sloppy (definitely not soupy). Something like an American pancake batter.
- Let the batter sit while the pan heats.
- Once the pan is up to temperature, add the olive oil (shallow fry in about 3 tbs) and add the batter a table spoon at a time.
- Fry until amber brown on either side, taking care to make sure that they don't brown too quickly; you want the inside to cook through too, so there is now 'raw' taste.
- Drain briefly on paper towels; plate and grate over fresh Pecorino, if wanted, or freshly chopped cilantro.

Yum! I had this for dinner last night. And breakfast this morning...

Edit: the addition of 1/2 tsp baking soda makes them puff!