WHB: The Return Of The Chickpea Patty

Yes, it's obvious that I have a fixation on certain types of food.  I can't resist most meatballs, or get enough chickpea patties.  The last one was not so long ago, and it was rather simple, but delicious. The chickpeas were ground fine, and combined with tomato sauce and a little cream, to make a patty crisp on the outside, but creamy on the inside. This time, I wanted to make them more rustic, rough textured and filled with vegetables.  And I would season them with the dynamic duo--cilantro and cumin.  I also made a "jam" made of chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, dried cherries, and honey.  It turned out just the way I wanted, delicious and filling.

I didn't know what vegetables I'd put in the patties until I surveyed my fridge. I would have included corn, but it wasn't there.  So, I used green peas, onions, carrots, and lots of chopped cilantro. The chickpeas were chopped to a rough texture in the food processor, as you can see in the picture.

The patties have to be handled gently, as they can fall apart as you put them in the skillet.  Here they are just out of the skillet.  You could cook them longer to make them browner, but I wanted to see the pretty veggies!

I suppose I'll use another herb in future patties, but I couldn't resist using cilantro and cumin again. They're great with chickpeas, in my opinion.  Of course, if you're a person who can't abide cilantro, use whatever herb you like. Make this recipe your own, by using ingredients you like.

This recipe is my submission to Weekend Herb Blogging, which was founded by the delightful Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.  This week I've very happy to see that my feline loving buddy Astrid, at Paulchen's Food Blog, is hosting.  Please check her site on Monday, where she will likely have a recap of wonderful herby recipes from bloggers all around the world.

Chickpea Patties with Mixed Vegetables And Dried Cherry And Tomato "Jam"

Note:  use whatever vegetables that you want.  The texture of the patties is rough, but you can make them smoother if you like by processing the chickpeas longer and adding some wort of sauce, cream or tahini.  And, you can add more vegetables to the mix, if you want.  This was just my version.

This made 4 patties for me, but could be more if you made them smaller

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well.
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup frozen or fresh green peas
1/2 heaping cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin (or more or less)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
about 1/2 teaspoon salt (check to see if you need more before you add the egg)

Heat the oil in a small skillet and saute the onions, garlic, and carrots until they are soft. Add the peas when the onions are almost done.  Salt them to taste.  Add the cumin and cook one minute more.  Put the chickpeas, into a food processor and chop until they are a rough texture.  Combine the chickpeas and onion mixture in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the egg and cilantro and mix together until fully incorporated. 

Heat a non-stick skillet with a thin film of oil until hot. Wet your hands and scoop up handfuls of the mixture.  (Smaller patties are easier to cook), and flatten them into patties . Slip them gently into the skillet. If they break apart, just use a spatula to push them into shape. Press down gently with spatula to compress the patty. Cook over a medium high heat for about 4 minutes, then slip a spatula under the bottom to see if they are set enough to lift up. If they are, lift and look at the bottom.  If they have browned some, gently flip them over and cook that side for 4 or however many minutes until they are done.  If they beak a little when you flip them--just push them together and press down and cook them until they are browned.   Serve with the dried cherry and tomato jam.

Dried Cherry And Tomato "Jam"

1 15 ounce can of petite cut tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dried cherries or raisins or dried cranberries
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon honey

Put the tomatoes into a sauce pan and heat until it simmers. Reduce the heat and cook the tomatoes at a gently simmer until it has thickened and is not too juicy. Stir occasionally.   Add the lemon juice and honey and cook gently for a few minutes more, stirring. Taste it to see if it needs more lemon juice or salt and pepper.

Comments

[ilva]

Now you made me long for chickpea patties Sher! better get some chickpeas today!

[Rosa]

Like you, I love meatballs and chickpeas! Those patties look extremely colorful and tasty! Yummy!

Cheers,

Rosa

[Peter]

Sher, they look awesome..convert any chickpea haters out there!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

I really really need a chickpea patty now! So pretty Sher! So much basil in the back yard, I'll use that.

[Patricia Scarpin]

I'm a sucker for chickpeas, Sher, but have never made patties like these. YUM!

[Emily]

I def have to try this one!!! Yummmmmy!

[Sue (coffeepot)]

Those sure do look good.

[grace]

quite frankly, i adore every single component of this concoction. chickpeas rule (especially in hummus), cilantro is my favorite herb of all time, and that tomato jam...my stars, it sounds great! i know exactly what i want for supper tonight. here's hoping i follow through! :)

[Kevin]

Those chickpea patties sound both tasty and healthy and the "jam" sounds really good too.

[Lisa]

Those look really good!
I do have 2 questions ....
What amount (cups) is a 15 oz can? I like to cook my own from dried.
And, do these keep, for a lunchbox the next day?

Thanks for all the yummy ideas.

[Marc @ NoRecipes]

MMmm yummm! I love anything with chickpeas in it. It's such a versatile ingredient. The cherry and tomato combo on top looks interesting too!

[Marc @ NoRecipes]

MMmm yummm! I love anything with chickpeas in it. It's such a versatile ingredient. The cherry and tomato combo on top looks interesting too!

[passionfordecor]

That looks yummm-my! I'm guessing they taste a bit like Indian vadai.

[Kalyn]

Yum again! I love anything with the dynamic duo! You're so talented at coming up with these combinations.

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

The patties look great, but that jam is really calling to me. I love dried cherries, and I've used them in everything from salad to meatloaf.

[gattina]

these patties have your name written allover!
In this area I live, people tend to eat the meat with pretty high fat, so I have stopped making meatball. Now you inspire me to go for alternative!

[Glenna]

OMG!!! Fabulous. Once again, just the best.

[Deborah]

I'm glad you keep making them, because they all look so wonderful!!

[dorf]

found out about this post from today's link on SFist. these look great and remind me of the delicious chickpea cutlets that i made using a recipe from the veganomicon cookbook. i highly recommend both the recipe and the cookbook. i recently made the chickpea cutlets for a group of friends on a weekend getaway and they were very well received. i'll definitely be giving your recipe a try. thanks!

[Astrid]

mmmmh yummy! this looks so good!
now I am hungry again. Dhur! and it is already 11 pm here and I should NOT eat anything that late *looks at the empty bowl of cherries* ... :)

[katie]

I made a note on the last chickpea pattie to try... Then life happened.
Maybe tonight, they look soooo good! And, I think I have a handful of peas lurking...

[DaviMack]

They sound fabulous! I'm looking forward to trying this, as we just ordered a 5 kilo bag of dried chickpeas! Yum!

[Mary Lou Breima]

Can I print this recipe without the pictures and comments. I hope I don't have to apologize for being not too computer literate. I am cooking literate, and I want to taste this recipe, and take it to my next potluck (in which some members have gluten, milk, onion family allergies.) We're all kind of elderly.

I'll let you know about the reactios, but we all need to have more beans and less meat.

Sincerely,
Mary Lou

[Jude]

Lots of colors = Tasty and delicious. I'll try your recipe with chickpea flour and see what happens :)

[Liz]

I made these today, thanks!