The chickpea possesses a dry, earthy quality and a knobbly texture that I find endlessly useful and pleasing to eat. No other member of the legume family has quite the same mealy, warm nuttiness. This is the bean I want bubbling on the stove when there is pouring rain outside, filling the kitchen with its curiously homey steam as it slowly simmers its way to tenderness. Unlike its more svelte cousins, the flageolet and the cannellini, the chickpea is almost impossible to overcook. The length of time it takes to soften rules it out of weekday cooking for me, so I sometimes resort to opening a can. Chickpeas, often labeled ceci or garbanzo, leave their can relatively unharmed, which is more than you can say for a flageolet. They make good patties that you can season with cumin, chile, garlic, sesame, or coriander and fry until lightly crisp on the outside. Chickpea patties need a little texture if they are to be of interest. I process them only so far, leaving them with a texture that is partly as smooth as hummus with, here and there, a little crunchiness. The patty mixture needs a good ten minutes to rest before cooking. To calm the garlic notes, I spoon over a sauce of yogurt, grated cucumber, and mint or a similar one of shredded beets, taking care not to overmix it to a lurid pink.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 small patties, enough for 2

　　chickpeas – a 14-ounce (400g) can

　　garlic – 2 cloves

　　ground cumin – a teaspoon

　　ground coriander – a heaping teaspoon

　　hot paprika – a scant half teaspoon

　　an egg

　　flat-leaf parsley – a small bunch

　　mint – a small bunch

　　olive oil

　　lemon wedges, to serve

　　

For the Tzatsiki

beet – a large raw one

　　plain yogurt – 3/4 cup (200g)

　　garlic – a single juicy clove, well crushed

　　mint leaves – a few

　　

Step 1

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a food processor with the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, egg, and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper. Chop the parsley and mint leaves coarsely (I use a couple of tablespoons of each), add to the processor, then blitz until smooth, but still with some small pieces of chickpea detectable. It is much more interesting with a slightly lumpy texture than a totally smooth one. Leave to firm up for a few minutes while you make the tzatsiki (your first thought may be that the mixture is too soft to make patties).

　　

Step 2

Grate the beet finely. Stir in the yogurt, a little salt and black pepper, the garlic, and a few chopped mint leaves.

　　

Step 3

Warm a very shallow layer of olive oil in a nonstick frying pan. Take heaped tablespoons of the mixture out of the bowl and place them in the hot oil, pressing down lightly to smooth the top. Leave them be until the underside is golden. I avoid any temptation to prod and poke; they must be allowed to form a thin crust. Flip over confidently but tenderly with a spatula to cook the other side. They are done in three or four minutes, when the outside is faintly crisp and golden and the inside is soft and creamy. Serve with the beet tzatsiki and the lemon wedges.

　　Tender