I’m going to need all of you to mentally prepare yourself for the mood I found myself in recently: pantry clean out mode.
Once or twice a year, I find myself staring into the abyss that is my pantry and wondering where all of these random food items came from.
Because I love to try new recipes, I often fall victim to clearance items that look “interesting” or just having loads of extra ingredients leftover from whatever my last experiment happened to be.
This week, I found myself staring down a can of chickpeas that has been taking up space at the back of a shelf for longer than I care to even guess.
I bought a few cans for a recipe experiment that went terribly, and I never ended up using the last one. I kept assuming we’d make a batch of hummus or they would end up in a curry or soup sometime, but they’ve just become a permanent resident instead.
But not any more, thanks to this week’s successful experiment: chickpea fritters.
This comes from Yumna Jawad of the “Feel Good Foodie” blog. You can find her original post at https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/chickpea-fritters/. I added extra seasoning in my version.
Chickpea Fritters
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mash the chickpeas until they’re nice and crumbly. Add in the flour, parmesan, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and water, and stir until the mixture starts to come together.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat, and add the canola oil.
- While the oil heats, form six patties—about one-half-inch thick—out of the chickpea mixture, making sure to compact them with your hands so they stay together.
- When the oil is hot, carefully add the patties and cook for one to two minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
- Serve hot as a side to your favorite Mediterranean, Indian or Middle Eastern dish, or just eat them by themselves with a good dipping sauce. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
I recommend eating these with something—maybe as a side to a curry, along with a gyro or at least with a good sauce—because the are a bit dry on their own.
That being said, they have great flavor, and I really liked these. Plus, they were super easy if you’re looking for a quick side dish.
I know that removing a single can from my pantry is nowhere near the triumph I’m trying to pretend it is (and you would definitely be saying that if you saw the mess I’ve gotten myself into), but as they say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
I suppose the cleanup of a thousand ingredients starts with a lone can of chickpeas.
This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 29, 2022.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
