Fresh Chickpeas with Couscous, Grains and Grilled Haloumi

Fresh chickpeas are instantly recognizable in form and flavor, but there are a few wonderful distinctions between fresh chickpeas and the more familiar dried or canned variety.  Perhaps the most interesting difference is that fresh chickpeas keep their beautiful green color when cooked, making for particularly pretty dishes.  In addition, the flavor is beanier and less starchy than canned chickpeas.  When fresh, they taste "green", which some describe as grassy, or pea-like.  Fresh chickpeas can be boiled, steamed or even sauteed in the pod like edamame, or removed from the pod and quickly blanched as we do here.

Chickpeas are easy to grow, although unlike most legumes, they prefer cooler temperatures.  We started our seeds, known as ceci in Italy where our seeds came from, in mid-November and started harvesting in March.  The low-growing plants are first loaded with lots of little white flowers, each of which turns into an individual chickpea pod.  The chickpeas are ready to pick when the pods feel full and hard, and it is not uncommon to find "twins" (two chickpeas to a pod) when the pods are opened.  Now that the temperatures here in Houston are hitting the 80's during the day, the leaves are starting to yellow and the last pods will soon be ready for harvest.

With our fresh chickpeas, we prepared a dish with mixed grains and haloumi.  The recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to change the grains or proportions as you like.  We add lots of fresh parsley from the garden, another plant that overwintered in our garden and is now flowering profusely before it dies back.  This recipe makes a filling meal for two, especially with the haloumi cheese on the side.

Fresh Chickpeas with Couscous, Grains and Haloumi
makes entree for two

Ingredients

1/2        cup    fresh chickpeas, removed from pods
                      sea salt for cooking chickpeas
1/4        cup    medium-grain couscous
1 1/4     cup    vegetable stock, brought to a boil
1/2        tsp     sea salt
1           Tbs    olive oil
1/2        cup    quinoa
1           Tbs    barley flakes
1           Tbs    oat flakes
1/3        cup    Italian parsley, freshly picked and minced
1                    package Haloumi, cut into 8 slices

Procedure

1. Heat pot of water, add 1 tsp sea salt and cook chickpeas until tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain, run under cool water to stop the cooking process, drain again and set aside.
2. Heat fry pan to medium high and grill haloumi until golden brown.  Flip and repeat.  Remove from heat, then cube.
3. Once vegetable stock is boiling, add couscous and 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste).  Stir and then cover. 
4. After 10 minutes, fluff couscous with a fork.  Mix in quinoa, barley and oats.  Add in chickpeas.
5. Serve in bowls topped with the minced parsley, and the grilled haloumi cubes on the side. 

Printable Recipe 

Other Haloumi Recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Spiced Pear, Date and Haloumi Flatbread
Grilled Eggplant, Haloumi and Arugula Sandwich
Boca Burger with Grilled Haloumi and Lemon

Other Fresh Chickpea Recipes from Vegetable Matter:
Pasta with Fresh Chickpeas and Basil Sauce
Fresh Chickpea, Bulgur and Mint Pilaf