chickpea, herb, feta salad
a spring/summer staple for picnics + the fridge
Welcome to mama eats, a twice-weekly newsletter inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. This week’s post, a recipe for a chickpea herb salad, is free to all readers, barring the video of me making it which is viewable by paid subscribers. I try to provide as much free content as possible, however, this newsletter is a labor of love and I am a busy mother of three. If you have the means and find value in what I share, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, which also gives you the benefit of access to the growing archive (posts over a month old).
Continuing on with my love for chickpeas, today I am sharing another chickpea-centered recipe with you that is a staple for us in the warmer months. It’s a quite simple salad, flavored with generous amounts of fresh herbs, lemon, and olive oil. It is quick to put together, yet is very delicious and sturdy enough to last a few days in the fridge. I find it also fares well as a packed meal- to take with you for lunch, for a picnic, on a hike, to a friend’s house. It is versatile, in that it is not fussy about its companions- it is equally at home atop a bed of fresh greens as it is stuffed into a pita, you can toss in a boiled grain (farro or arborio rice are my favorites to add), and when they come into season, it is excellent on top of a bed of thick sliced ripe tomatoes. It tastes lovely with vegetables on the side- some thick cut, juicy marinated beets or broiled spears of bright green asparagus or lemony roast potatoes are favorites. Right now, in mid-spring, we are often enjoying it as a side along a green salad with avocado, and steamed artichokes with aioli.
I hope that if you get a chance to make this salad, that you find it to be as delicious and often-made as we do. In my view, these types of very simple dishes are what forms the backbone of everyday meals, much more so than more exciting, complicated, or beautiful dishes. I love hearing about and receiving these types of recipes from others, the things we cook that we don’t even think of as a “recipe”, just a dish we put together- every household has at least one like this. Especially as the weather warms, simplicity is what I crave more than ever in the kitchen. Thank you, as always, for reading. xx
chickpea, herb, and feta salad
notes: the ingredient list here is small, which means that the quality and freshness of each ingredient really matters to the final dish. Although of course you can use tinned, I highly recommend cooking your chickpeas from scratch for a delicious, well seasoned and tender yet firm chickpea- not to mention also much more economical. The olive oil should be pleasant and not too peppery/bitter, as we are using quite a bit here. You can use a small clove of grated garlic instead of the shallot if you prefer. It keeps well for a few days in the fridge- if you want it to last longer, just keep the herbs separate and toss them in when serving. You are welcome to leave out the feta- the salad is very good without- I used Violife here, use whichever feta you enjoy.
2 cups // 400 g dried chickpeas; about 5 cups cooked chickpeas
¼ cup // 60 ml olive oil
¼ cup // 60 ml fresh lemon juice (from a large lemon) + its zest
a small shallot, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper
soft, fresh herbs- (such as parsley, mint, dill, chervil)- I used a small bunch of parsley and a large handful mint // stems removed, leaves chopped
5 green onions, sliced
½ a small block feta, or to taste
Soak chickpeas overnight. In the morning, drain them and rinse well. Add them to a large pot with plenty of fresh water and a tablespoon of salt. Simmer until tender- this usually takes 40 minutes to 1 hour- or pressure cook according to your own model’s timing (this is especially useful on warm days when you don’t want to heat up the house). When finished cooking, take care to drain them well, because any excess water will dilute the dressing.
While the chickpeas are still hot/warm, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, shallot, and generous salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the hot/warm chickpeas and mix well. Allow them to sit and cool to room temp- this step is quite important, as we don’t want the heat to wilt the herbs, and the resting period also allows the chickpeas to soak up the dressing. Toss through the herbs, green onions, and crumble over the feta. Mix again, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
For paid subscribers, please enjoy the video of me making this recipe, below. Thank you for your support xx