Arbes Chickpea Snack

My ability to predict the gender of a baby is exceptional. After making a careful study of the expectant mother’s tummy and other anecdotal evidence, I make my pronouncement with great confidence and certainty. I have never guessed correctly. My consistency is unmatched. Whenever I have an inexplicable urge to cook up a big pot of arbes, the seasoned chickpea snack traditionally served at a shalom zachar, the party celebrating the birth of a baby boy on the first Friday night after his birth, my children look at each other knowingly. Think pink. You can bet the house on it.

Arbes Chickpea Snack

This traditional recipe for cooked chickpeas has a twenty-first century twist or two. The chickpeas are soaked overnight in water to which baking soda has been added. Adding baking soda to chickpeas can help them soften, cook more quickly, and produces an extra creamy end result.  Adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the chickpea cooking water just before they’re completely done enhances the color of the chickpeas and imparts a subtle smoky flavor that makes this munchable snack even more addictive. But you don’t need a shalom zachar to have an excuse to make your own cooked chickpeas. They add oomph to any recipe that calls for canned chickpeas and can be served as a part of a mezze spread, alongside tahini, matbucha, hummus, and baba ghanoush.

Assemble your ingredients. Add one 16 ounce bag of chickpeas to a medium-sized bowl and add water to cover the chickpeas. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and allow the chickpeas to soak overnight. 

The next day: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to an 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add 1 onion, 2 stalks of celery and 1 carrot, all cut in chunks, to the pot. Add 2 whole cloves of garlic. Stir to coat with the oil and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sauteed vegetables to a cooking bag or you can also tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. You can also use a pasta pot to cook the chickpeas. Leave the sauteed vegetables in the bottom of the pot with the water and and place the chickpeas in the pasta insert. This keeps the vegetables from falling apart in the pot while you cook the chickpeas. 

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the pot with the sauteed vegetables. Cover them with water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the chickpeas to a rolling boil. Allow them to boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and continue to cook the chickpeas for another 45 minutes on a slow boil. Taste a chickpea. If it almost soft enough, add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to the cooking water. Make sure that the chickpeas are adequately covered with water. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Taste a chickpea again. If you like the texture, drain the chickpeas and season with freshly ground pepper and more salt if you like (it may not be necessary). Serve at room temperature.

Print Recipe

Arbes Chickpea Snack

Vegetables and Sides

By Nanette with assistance from Dorie Greenspan, Everyday Dorie – Serves: 12-15

Prep Time: 20 minutes + soaking time – Cooking Time: 60-70 minutes – Total Time: 85 minutes

Creamy, nutty cooked chickpeas with a subtle smoky flavor and a little peppery heat.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce package chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 onion, cut in thick slices or chunks
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut in chunks
• 2 celery stalks, scrubbed and cut in chunks
• 2 whole cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

The night before:

1

Add one 16 ounce bag of chickpeas to a medium-sized bowl and add water to cover the chickpeas. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and allow the chickpeas to soak overnight. 

The next day:

2

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to an 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add 1 onion, 2 stalks of celery, and 1 carrot, all cut in thick chunks, to the pot. Add 2 whole cloves of garlic. Stir to coat with the oil and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sauteed vegetables to a cooking bag if desired or you can also tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth.

3

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the pot with the sauteed vegetables. Cover them with water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the chickpeas to a rolling boil. Allow them to boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and continue to cook the chickpeas for another 45 minutes. Make sure the chickpeas are always covered with water.

4

Taste a chickpea. If it almost soft enough, add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to the pot. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Taste a chickpea again. If you like the texture, drain the chickpeas and season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste (it may not be necessary). Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Cooked chickpeas can be frozen in resealable containers.