[Sca-cooks] Brodo of Red Chickpeas

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Gwen Cat wrote:
>Thank you Bear.? It sounds interesting (am not a huge cinnamon fan, or it would 
>sound great ;-)? 
>
>I suspect I wont have any on site prep time - I dont have the exact schedule but 
>it sounds like we are moving directly from COURT (indoors someplace) to 
>TOURNAMENT out at the field with lunch as a buffet and while not afterthought, 
>certainly NOT a primary stopping point on the schedule.? I dont want to be 
>trying to cook during court, and I dont have a field burner (aka rocket powered 
>propane burner) so anything I do has to be ready to serve when I get there.? 
>Also, site opens early (for me, on a weekend, 9 is EARLY) and I have at least an 
>hour drive to get there... so no cooking it in the morning.

I made an ancient Greek chickpea dish for a feast which was surprisingly popular. Here's my interpretation to serve 80. Naturally it can be cut down for fewer.

Erebinthoi Knakosymmigeis : CHICKPEAS IN SAFFRON SAUCE

Original:
"And then chick-peas marinated in saffron, plump in their tender youth"

[Piloxenus, "The Dinner", quoted in Anthenaeus (circa 170-239 CE), "The Partying Professors"]

My interpretation:

A couple generous pinches of Saffron
a few Tb. Warm Water
3 giant cans Chickpeas
2 cups Olive Oil
Salt to taste, as garbanzos already salted
2 Tb. ground Cumin Seed
2 Tb. ground Coriander Seed
2 tsp. ground Black Pepper

1. Crumble saffron threads in a tablespoon or two of warm water. Let stand about 15 minutes.

2. Drain and rinse canned chickpeas and drain well again.

3. Put chickpeas in a pot with olive oil and a little water, stir well, and heat on medium fire, adjusting heat as needed so they don't burn.
Add saffron, coriander, cumin, and salt to taste and stir well.
Simmer until warm through, taste and adjust seasonings, adding more cumin and coriander seed, as needed.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES:
Given the original comment the Greeks may well have used FRESH chickpeas, but they have only limited availability here in the spring. So i used canned and the dish tasted good.

There was some controversy among the scholars i read while researching this feast as to whether the Greeks would have used saffron, which is flavorful as well as colorful, or safflower, which adds color but no flavor. I know the Greeks had access to saffron so i chose to use it because it is tasty and a flavor i love.

These were surprisingly popular, considering what i have heard about how much people dislike chickpeas, and several people asked for the recipe.

--

Urtatim (that's urr-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita