Fennel Marinated Chickpeas Four Ways

If you’ve never cooked dried beans before, you may never go back to canned! Yet, I also recognize that it’s a little extra work. For our meal kit series, I wanted show just how versatile cooked beans can be. It’s worth the effort.

I also wanted to use green garlic, which is currently in season on the farm. It’s the immature form of garlic, before they start to bulb. You can use the white stem like a leek and the leaves. The leaves aren’t fibrous yet and add a savory foundation to any recipe.

Here are four ways to use these marinated beans (five, if you include the leftover aquafaba, or bean water).

Fennel Marinated Chickpeas

1 hour and 10 min, plus 8 hours soaking
Yields 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried chickpeas

• Water

• 1 large sprig thyme

• 1 tbsp salt, plus a few pinches (⅛ tsp each)

• Green garlic stem and leaves, minced (see note below)

• 6 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tbsp

• 6 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

• 1 large fennel frond, minced

The day before you’re ready to cook, soak the dried beans in a large pot of cold water, covering them with at least an inch of water. Soak overnight, minimum 8 hours.

Drain the beans and cover them again with fresh, cold water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add thyme and cover with a lid. Cook on low for 45 minutes. Add 1 tbsp salt, replace the lid, and cook for 15 minutes more. They should be soft, like what you’d expect with canned beans.

While the beans cook, prepare the marinade. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the minced green garlic stems and leaves and 1 pinch salt (⅛ tsp). Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly while you mix the remaining olive oil and sherry vinegar together in a large bowl (large enough to hold the beans later). Add the cooked green garlic and minced fennel frond to the marinade.

Once the beans are finished cooking, remove the thyme stems. Drain the beans but save the remaining liquid. This is the precious aquafaba, or bean water. At the very least, you’ll need a couple cups for the other recipes.

Add the beans to the large bowl with the marinade, removing any chickpea skins, if desired. Mix thoroughly, adjust the flavor with salt, oil, or vinegar. These marinated bans also store well in the fridge for several days and their flavor only continues to improve.

A note about green garlic: I tend to use the soft, flexible, white part of the stem and the fresh, young leaves at the top, i.e., the bottom third and the top third of the plant. The middle part, where the leaves connect to the stem, is too tough for me. You can compost that part, or freeze and use later when making a stock. See demo video on Instagram.

Marinated Chickpea Dip

10 minutes
Yields 4 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups marinated chickpeas

• 1 cup aquafaba, or chickpea water

• 1-2 pinches salt (⅛ - ¼ tsp)

Puree the chickpeas, ½ cup aquafaba, and salt in a blender. Pour the remaining aquafaba slowly while the blender is running until the mixture resembles the consistency of smooth hummus (it’ll swirl in the blender like soft ice cream in an ice cream maker).

Did you overdo it and now it’s too thin? Add some more chickpeas. Too thick? Add more aquafaba. Add salt to taste.

Marinated Chickpea Dressing

5 minutes
Yields 1 cup

Ingredients

• ½ cup marinated chickpea dip

• ⅛ to ¼ cup aquafaba

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

• 1 pinch salt (⅛ tsp)

Mix ingredients together, either in a blender, whisked in a bowl, or shaken in a jar with a lid.

(Fun fact— this also works as a base for a pasta sauce. I added some hot pasta water, Italian sausage, walnuts, and more fennel fronds for a quick and easy weeknight meal.)

Marinated Chickpea and Pea Microgreen Salad

(Phew, we made it! Believe it or not, this is what actually inspired the recipe, pairing chickpeas with pea microgreens).

Ingredients

• pea microgreens, roughly chopped

• marinated chickpeas

• chive blossoms

• pumpkin seeds

• marinated chickpea dressing

I’m going to be a little loose with the proportions. In general, equal parts microgreens and chickpeas work well together, though feel free to experiment and mix things up according to taste. Drizzle the chickpea dressing generously over the salad and garnish with chive blossoms and pumpkin seeds.