Chickpeas/garbanzos

Like lentils, chickpeas come from the Mediterranean region and have been an important food for centuries. In Ancient Greece, they were served both as a savoury staple and as a dessert, when they were roasted. Their nutty, almost earthy flavour makes for wonderful casseroles, particularly when they are combined with pork or lamb. They have an affinity for lemon, and a little lemon juice added to chickpea soup will really lift the flavour. Chickpeas are also used to make spicy rissoles.

It is essential to soak chickpeas overnight before cooking them, and then they need to be boiled for several hours, unless a pressure cooker is used, in which case they take only 20–25 minutes.