Our guest editor Caroline Saint Ange has prepared a wonderful summer salad recipe for you:
MUNICH: I love to spend long summer nights in the garden. Inviting friends for a casual dinner, where you only need some good wine, a simple salad like this one and maybe some ice cream for dessert. I found this recipe in an old cookbook some years ago and have since recreated it many times. It’s the type of salad at a potluck which is always finished first. It’s savory, aromatic, tangy and very nourishing. Chickpeas are one of the best sources of plant protein. (Especially important if you’ve cut down on animal protein, like I have.) The fresh herbs bring flavor and nutrients and the onions just give this special taste. I’m sure you will absolutely love it.
Recipe (for four hungry people or for eight as a starter):
450 g dried chickpeas
2-3 red chilies
2 large red onions
4 cloves of garlic
100 ml olive oil
100 ml apple cider vinegar
50 ml vegetable broth
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of flat parsley
1 bunch of nana mint
2 spring onions
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Soak the chickpeas in a lot of cold water overnight. In the morning rinse them well and cook them with fresh water. Bring them to a boil and then lower the heat. Let them cook on medium heat for 1-1.5 hours until they are soft but don’t fall apart. During this process you might want to strain the foam a couple of times. Drain the water and let the chickpeas cool off in the pot without the lid on.
Wash the chilies, cut them lengthwise and scrape off the seeds. Chop chilies, red onions and garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a pot and braise the chilies, onions and garlic lightly in it for 5-7 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar and vegetable broth and cook it on high heat for several minutes.
Pour the hot marinade over the chickpeas and let the mixture cool down.
Wash the herbs, pat them dry and chop them. Clean the spring onions and chop them too.
Mix herbs into the marinated chickpeas and season generously with sea salt and pepper. Enjoy!
