Chickpea’s in Tomato Sauce with a side of Battered and Fried Broccoli

Having a bag of chickpea flour stashed in your fridge (for longevity) can be a game changer. Not only can you bake a number of gluten-free goodies with it, but if you pour it into a bowl, add in a few pantry staples and then pour in some bubbly water, you’ll have a batter to transform almost anything into crispy golden colored perfection.

The chickpea tomato sauce can be eaten like a stew or thick soup, and the fried broccoli benefits from the acidic bite of the tomato sauce, and the chickpea stew benefits from the crunch of the battered broccoli, a match made in food heaven.

Recipe by: Tierney Larson (Chickpea Batter recipe resource from “Grist” by Abra Berens)

Servings: 4

Techniques involved: Infusing oil with flavor, blooming spices, shallow frying

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

2 tbl olive oil

3 cloves garlic smashed

2 tsp hot paprika

1 280z can of whole peeled tomatoes, I like Bianco Napoli

2 sprigs of thyme

1 15.5oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Some goat cheese crumbled for topping

optional: good olive oil for a drizzle on top, and some flakey sea salt

For the Batter: (recipe from “Grist” by Abra Berens

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp diamond crystal kosher salt (1/2 tsp if using Morton’s)

1/2 cup soda water

Approx. 1/2 cup Canola, Vegetable, or any high smoke point neutral oil, or enough to fill your heavy bottomed high sided frying vessel by about 1/3 or the way up the side.

1 large head of broccoli, stems removed and cut into florets

Ok so…

Pour the olive oil into a medium sized sauté pan and add the smashed garlic cloves, place over medium heat and allow the garlic and oil to heat together, infusing the oil with the garlic flavor.

When the garlic is sizzling, add the hot paprika and give it a stir. When the paprika is fragrant (about 30 seconds), add the canned tomatoes and their juices. (If the tomato liquid is thick add a splash of water to loosen to a sauce consistency). Add the thyme sprigs and a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and let simmer for about 5 minutes uncovered. Start to break up and crush the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon and then add the drained chickpeas and allow to continue to simmer while you make the broccoli.

For the batter:

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, then whisk in the seltzer water until you have a thin batter.

Add the vegetable or neutral oil to a deep heavy skillet (cast iron works well here). Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat, adjusting the heat if you need to, to slowly heat the oil to 375F. Use an instant read thermometer to test the oil or add a small piece of broccoli and when it sizzles quickly (without popping like crazy) then the oil is ready.

Meanwhile, add half of the broccoli florets to the batter and toss to coat. Add them one or two at a time into the hot oil, very carefully with a slotted spoon. Gently break them up if they’re clumped together and let them fry on the first side for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and then gently loosen from the bottom (if necessary) with tongs and flip them over to get brown on the other side.

Remove the golden broccoli with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil. Season with kosher salt while it’s still hot. Repeat with the last batch of broccoli florets.

Taste the chickpea and tomato sauce and if you can’t taste the garlic or paprika yet, add more salt. If the dish tastes too acidic, add a tiny dash of honey or agave (a little goes a long way). Serve the chickpea sauce in a shallow bowl and top with crumbled goat cheese, a drizzle of good olive oil and some flakey salt. Serve the battered broccoli on the side and enjoy!