LEGUMES ARE SO COOL!

I’m not about to cook up a pot of beans, now that summer is here. Don’t need a steamy kitchen, nor a hot and hearty meal. But, I’m not rejecting legumes. Now’s the time to turn to those jars of beans, chickpeas and lentils, ready-to-hand in the cupboard. 

Legumes turn a light salad into a main dish. They make the centerpiece for a vegetarian Buddha bowl. A jar of chickpeas becomes hummus in the whirl of a blender. Marinated beans or lentils make a great side with summer’s foods from the grill. Legumes are so cool!

"Cobblestone" salad with round chickpeas and olives and chopped vegetables. Light, but a filling lunch dish.

This legume salad is called empedrado (empedrat in Catalan), cobblestones, because the round chickpeas and chopped vegetables supposedly resemble paving stones. It was invented to use up cooked chickpeas leftover from a big, slow-cooked cocido, but is even easier made with a jar or can of chickpeas.

Vary the salad to suit your tastes and what’s on-hand in the pantry. Some suggestions for optionals and extras: guindilla chilies; corn kernels; chopped asparagus; peas; minced garlic; cubes of queso fresco (goat’s cheese) or feta; chopped basil, cilantro or mint; diced raw zucchini or cucumber; chopped nuts, butifarra sausage or bacalao (dry salt cod that is de-salted and lightly cooked) in place of tuna.

Serve with salad greens or not--

Here, the salad has a sprig of cilantro and a squiggle of guindilla, mild-hot chile.

Perfect side dish with foods from the grill. For a party, serve it in a big bowl or--

or, serve the salads in individual cups.

Cobblestone Salad with Chickpeas

Empedrado de Garbanzos

Albacore tuna in olive oil.

I’ve used a jar of bonito del norte, albacore tuna in olive oil, for the salad. Drain the tuna and cut into chunks before combining it with the vegetables. I've added diced raw zucchini to the vegetable mix.

Diced zucchini, optional addition.

 ½ cup drained cooked or canned chickpeas
¼ cup diced green pepper
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup drained, pitted black and/or green olives
¼ cup diced raw zucchini or cucumber 
1 cup drained, chunked canned tuna (5 ounces)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice or Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup diced tomatoes
1-2 hard-cooked eggs
Salad greens, if desired

Dice green peppers for salad.

Tip: It's easier to dice green peppers if you place them skin-side down on the cutting board. 

In a bowl, combine the chickpeas, green and red pepper, olives, zucchini and tuna. Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and pepper. Add the oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Cover and refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.

Chickpeas and chopped vegetables make colorful mix.

Don't add the chopped tomatoes and parsley until immediately before serving. That way they don't lose their freshness. 

Either chop the egg and add to the salad or quarter the eggs and use them to garnish the salad plates. Serve the salad with greens, if desired.

Another recipe for “cobblestones:”

Rice with Salt Cod and Beans.