Crispy Chickpeas with Harissa
Makes 4-8 servings as a cocktail snack.
Ingredients
HARISSA Harissa1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded and de-ribbed, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, roughly chopped2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilSalt
1 cup tomato puree
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seed1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
CHICKPEAS Chickpeas
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Neutral oil for frying2 15-ounce can chickpeas, including liquidChili flakes (optional)
Directions
Make the harissa: Pulse the onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small container. Repeat this process with the garlic, then with the red peppers and jalapeño.
Heat the oil in a small pot, and sweat the onion over medium-low heat for 10 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic, cook 1 minute. Add the peppers and another pinch of salt and cook 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree and toasted cumin seeds and cook another 10 minutes.
With an immersion blender, blend the harissa until it has the consistency of a pesto. Add the sherry vinegar and correct the seasoning. The harissa should be spicy but still edible. Cool and refrigerate covered until ready to use.
Fry the chickpeas: Season the flour with the salt, cayenne and cumin.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Line a plate with paper towels and keep ready.
Place the chickpeas and about half of their liquid in a bowl. Add enough of the flour until the mixture has the consistency of pancake batter. Fry the chickpeas in two batches, until they float. They should take about 2 minutes. Blot on paper towels, sprinkle with chile flakes and serve warm with harissa.
