Food and Drink

Chickpea Salad
by Jim Eaton

1 19 oz can of Chickpeas
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
½ medium onion – cut into ¼ dice
3 cloves garlic – very finely diced
¼ cup good extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar (1/8 cup of normal supermarket balsamic vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste (1 teaspoon of salt or so)

Drain all the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Mix the onion, garlic and oil in a large bowl. Stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir until the oil and vinegar are combined but they will not fully emulsify – the dressing will be broken.

It’s tempting to embellish this recipe, to add more stuff. Don’t. Trust me. I tried feta cheese and sundried tomatoes; they’re fine but additional ingredients muddle the flavors. You’ll really taste the chickpeas, oil and vinegar if you keep it simple.
I do, however, recommend serving this salad with a fried egg as a light meal. It is also wonderful served over spinach as a side dish. Enjoy!