The garbanzo bean, or chick pea, is a nearly perfect food. It is high in protein and fiber, and very low in calories and fat. But in my neighborhood we never saw them fresh; only canned and dried. For taste, by the way, I’ve always preferred dried garbonzos, but of course, you can’t beat the convenience of canned!
Anyway, when I saw these fresh beans as an add-on to my weekly farm box, I grabbed them. Never being one to sit down and shell, I looked for a recipe that didn’t involve me doing all the shelling. Saute them in their pods, and let your guests do the shelling in their mouths! Think of them as the new edamame.
Fresh garbanzo beans in their paper-like pods
Each garbanzo pod has one or two beans inside.
Saute in olive oil until some of the pods are charred.
Add a half-cup of water and a pinch of salt. Cover, and steam for about five minutes, until the beans are somewhere between crunchy and soft.
Serve warm (or cold) as a finger-food appetizer.