Creamy Parmesan and Pickled Chilli Chickpeas.
Goodness this is dish is delicious, tasty enough to fool anyone of its healthiness. Im often a creature of habit when it comes to chickpeas, either using them in a curry or whizzing into hummus. This base of this dish was inspired by Ottolenghi chef Noor Mura but i’ve incorporated a few nutrition friendly tweaks. Humble chickpeas cook down with onions, garlic, parmesan and spinach to form an unctuous and creamy base to top with either grilled chicken breast, fish or vegan substitute. It’s satisfying, simple and transforms a simple tin of chickpeas, total crowd pleaser.
Serve 2 you will need:
1 tin chickpeas
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
3 pellets of frozen spinach (fresh is fine just wilt first and squeeze out excess water)
Parmesan
20g Butter
Chicken or veg stock
Black pepper
Lemon
Red chillies
Apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar is ok if you dont have ACV)
Protein: I used skin on chicken breast, can use any fish, tofu and vegan substitutes.
METHOD
Finely slice the red chillies like you would a carrot, remove the seeds and add to a small pan with enough ACV to submerge. Bring to the boil and then take off the heat and set aside.
Add a little oil to a pan and sweat down the diced shallot with 3 cloves of finely cut garlic.
Add a drained tin of chickpeas and mix. Throw in your frozen spinach (or wilted fresh) and allow the flavours to merge.
Pour in 200ml of concentrated stock and a good few turns of black pepper (dont be shy).
Cook down for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally then add a good grating of parmesan cheese and the butter. Keep stirring as the sauce will thicken into an unctuous silky base. Taste and add more parmesan and back pepper if needed.
Finely dice the pickled chilli and add along with a squeeze of fresh lemon to finish.
Serve crowned with any protein of your choice, I had crispy skinned chicken breast simply cooked skin side down in a griddle pan.
