Fresh

Fresh chickpeas are not a technique; they are the youngest, and more vegetal, stage of chickpeas, sharing the attributes of fresh favas, shelling beans, or peas. We don’t grow chickpeas in any sort of quantity in Michigan, so I rely on the frozen green garbanzos from the grocery store. They are often in the same aisle as frozen soy and fava beans. Sometimes fresh beans, often still in the fuzzy ridged pods, pop up at specialty markets too.

I almost always cook them the same way—a quick blanch, straight from frozen, in heavily salted water and then pair them with the best of what is in season to make a fresh vegetable salad-y thing. If you find some fresh, blanch them in the pod (like edamame) or remove from the pod and cook like fava beans. Like favas, fresh green chickpeas have an exterior skin that can be peeled off, revealing the bright green interior seed, but I don’t often bother except for looks.