spring suckerpunch
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Recipe: roasted chickpeas
We’re in the middle of some crazy heat wave over here. 70s on the flats, 50s in the mountains. Snow can’t survive that kind of weather for long and I’m hoping for the cold to return so that we might enjoy more than a meager month’s worth of proper winter (that was February). But this warm spell is certainly conducive to the whole “Spring is coming” mantra. To be honest, it’s pretty great weather for getting together with friends. My pal, Kat, had her birthday on Monday, so I hosted her for a few days at my house in the mountains. Jeremy and I treated Kat to Community Night at The Kitchen, which really is the absolute best dinner deal in Boulder if you love good food (and who doesn’t?). If you haven’t been before, I implore you to put that one on your list of things to do.
the community table
among our favorite dishes: duck and prosciutto meatballs
heavenly tagliatelle with lardo, egg, black trumpet mushrooms, parmesan, truffle salt
scallops in celeriac purΓ©e, blood orange beurre blanc, fennel
Oh, that was a wonderful evening, but the celebration continued with lunch at Sushi Tora, buying some wines, and hitting up a few of our favorite places around town like Cured, Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Whole Foods on Pearl (not all Whole Foods are equal – our Boulder store on Pearl is beyond amazing, truly).
fy to the i: sushi tora now has ramen on their specials menu – and it rocked our world
Last night, Jeremy and I changed the sheets and towels in the guest room for our next visitor who arrives this evening. It’s definitely less stressful having friends over when the weather isn’t freezing cold, the winds aren’t trying to blow your house down, and the roads aren’t covered in a slick of ice and snow. Spring and summer entertaining in the mountains is easy, fun, and relaxed. It puts me in the mood for appetizers, snacks, and party foods.
chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
ground spices: cumin, coriander, chile, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cayenne, cloves
Some time last year, I saw roasted chickpeas making the rounds on blogs. Friends raved about them. They were a healthy, crunchy snack that could be sweet or savory. I decided to try Kalyn’s version because the Moroccan spices appealed to my savory cravings. This was back in the day, before I was gifted my precious pressure cooker. I used canned chickpeas back then. Today I cook dried chickpeas in the pressure cooker (and they’re awesome).
pat the chickpeas dry
add some olive oil and your choice of spices
toss to coat
**Jump for more butter**
