Chickpeas with Feta and Preserved Lemons

Name: Chickpeas with Feta and Preserved Lemons
Yield: Serves 4–6 as a side dish or light meal
Ingredients: cumin seeds 1½ tsp; sea salt flakes 1 tsp; preserved lemon 1, finely chopped; chickpeas 250 g/9 oz, soaked for several hours; feta cheese 75 g/2¾ oz, crumbled; oregano, thyme or summer savory chopped to make 1 tsp; flat-leaf parsley stems removed, leaves chopped to make 5 tbsp; dried red chilli flakes a pinch; extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp; red onion ½ small, thinly sliced into crescents; garlic cloves 2, crushed; lemon juice of ½; black peppercorns 2 tsp, cracked

Preparation info

Serves
4–6
as a side dish or light meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Pepper

By Christine McFadden

Published 2008

About

This is one of those dishes where pepper and salt are barely noticeable but leave them out and you’ll taste the difference. They draw all the other elements together – earthy chickpeas, fragrant herbs, salty cheese and the mysterious, faintly musty flavour of Moroccan preserved lemons. This dish is delicious on its own or as part of a meze; it also goes beautifully with grilled lamb or chicken.