Smoky Urfa Chickpeas

I love a beany dish- they’re great for you and make for the perfect weeknight dinner because they take so little time to make.

The base of this dish brings in so much flavour, that you wouldn’t believe it gets whipped up in less than 20 minutes- Smoky roasted peppers, umami anchovies and the star of the show: Urfa Biber - a Smokey, sweet (raisin-like) flavoured chilli. It brings no heat, just pure tastiness.

Mop these beans up with my seeded flatbreads that are also very speedy to make!

Notes: Both Urfa chilli paste or ground Urfa chilli work in this recipe. If you can find any, substitute for chipotle paste.

Serves:4-6

Prep/cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

1 Jar Roasted Peppers, drained

10g Fresh Parsley

10g Fresh Basil

1 Jalapeño, trimmed and finely sliced

2 tsps Capers, drained

3 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced

5 Anchovies, drained

2 tsps Urfa Biber

1 Jar (600g) Chickpeas, drained (save the water)

Sherry Vinegar, to taste

Olive oil, Salt, Black pepper

Method:

1. Add the drained roasted peppers into a food processor and blitz until finely minced (you can also do this by chopping, it will just take a little longer). Pick the parsley and basil leaves, discarding the stems. Add then into a bowl, with the sliced jalapeño and capers.

2. Add a drizzle of oil into a frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and sizzle for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Then, stir through the anchovies and cook stirring until they break down, 2-4 minutes. Mix in the red peppers and Urfa Biber, simmer for 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the drained chickpeas, stir and let simmer until hot. Taste and season with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar. Add a splash of chickpea water if needed to loosen.

4. Serve the smoky Urfa chickpeas with a sprinkle of the herby caper topping, mop up with some flatbreads.