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Chickpea and Green Tomato Salad

by:
August 25, 2016
4.5
2 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This recipe was inspired by a similar salad Merrill and I had at Il Buco Alimentari, a restaurant in Manhattan. I didn't ask them for the recipe. I created it from memory, an unreliable source. The beans are different, perhaps the seasonings as well, and moral decisions were made along the way—but I think you will like it. —Amanda Hesser

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Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas (or other small dried beans)
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 small (or 1 large) green tomatoes, cored
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
  1. Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan and cover with 4 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the water is at a gentle simmer. Add the garlic and salt the water like you would for pasta. Cook at a simmer until the chickpeas are tender but not mushy, about 90 minutes. Drain. 
  2. Meanwhile, stir together the vinegars and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Using a mandoline, slice one of the green tomatoes as thinly as possible. Finely chop the second tomato. Add both the chopped and sliced tomato to the vinaigrette. 
  3. When the chickpeas are cooked, remove the tomato slices from the vinaigrette and reserve them for a second. In a serving bowl, mix the vinaigrette with the chopped tomato into the warm chickpeas. Fold in the herbs and scallions. Top with the green tomato slices. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings before serving. 
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The Chickpea & Tomato Salad That Presented a Moral Dilemma

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Recipe by: Amanda Hesser

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I've written several books, including "Cooking for Mr. Latte" and "The Essential New York Times Cookbook." I played myself in "Julie & Julia" -- hope you didn't blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.

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14 Reviews

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Ruth T. August 18, 2023
We have really enjoyed this recipe through the years. The flavors and texture are a beautiful combination. If green tomatoes were more accessible, it would be a regular part of the repertoire. But always a special treat when I do have access.
Ruth P. July 21, 2017
If you add both the sliced and chopped tomatoes to the vinaigrette, it is a hassle and really unnecessary to remove only the sliced tomatoes for serving on top of the piece. It's easy enough to combine everything and just before serving to pick out some of the sliced tomatoes to place on top. Conversely, divide the vinaigrette in half and apportion the chopped and sliced tomatoes. Either are simpler and less fussy, and will prevent the sliced tomatoes from breaking up, esp. if one uses a mandoline for the thinnest of slices.
Carolyn W. September 10, 2016
Have you ever thought about trying tomatillos instead of the green tomatoes? Maybe easier to find and I think would still give a similar kind of punch to the taste.
Amanda H. September 11, 2016
I haven't! I like this idea -- thanks so much!
dymnyno August 28, 2016
What moral decision did you have to make?
tamater S. July 21, 2017
haha, I laughed when I read that, thinking, "This sounds like a 52er!"
dymnyno August 28, 2016
What
Marlene T. August 26, 2016
Amanda,
What would the 4 beans be if we were inclined to make it that way?
Amanda H. August 26, 2016
I'd use baby lima, navy, and any other small bean. The beans at the restaurant were so tiny, I don't know where they got them -- it was like they were all baby beans!
dinner A. August 25, 2016
Are the "green tomatoes" called for intended to be green as in unripe, or a variety that is green when ripe, such as green zebra? I'm guessing the former but wasn't sure.
Amanda H. August 25, 2016
Yes, unripe!
Nicole August 11, 2017
Glad you posted this--I had the same question. My family introduced Kansas City to heirloom tomatoes almost 20 years ago (we run Kurlbaum's Heirloom Tomatoes), and are constantly having to sort through ideas for ripe green tomatoes and unripe "green" tomatoes!!
Kate S. August 25, 2016
1 1/2 teaspoons chickpeas? surely you mean 1 1/2 cups.
Amanda H. August 25, 2016
Fixed -- thanks!