Q: What’s The Difference Between a Chickpea and a Garbanzo Bean?

A: To the best of my knowledge, Donald Trump probably wouldn’t pay $500 to see a garbanzo bean.

This is a quick one, folks, so strap in and here we go…

My old friend Dianne posted something very much like this to her Facebook page one day and set my mind to thinking. I always sneered at the thought of pulses and legumes. If I have to wait 2 hours to eat it, why bother?

Well… then I grew up… and then they invented the electric pressure cooker and two hours became 35 minutes. Enter the delicious and nutritious snack that is the roasted garbanzo bean. I am going to admit it here and now, there does seem to be something a little absurd about rehydrating and then dehydrating a chickpea (btw, these are exactly the same thing, there is no difference.) However, they are approximately half the price if you buy them dry and not in tins. There is the added benefit that you can control the quality – organic etc.

Add about 4 cups of dried garbanzo beans to your pressure cooker, You can wash.rinse them and pick through for small stones, but there is no need to soak ’em. Add enough water to cover them by about three or four inches and set to cook for about 35 minutes. Don’t over do it, you do not want them to be mushy.

They will now be plump, but also meaty.

Drain off the excess water. If you leave them wet/damp, you are going to get soft chickpeas instead of crisp and crunchy. Go walk the dog or leave them for a couple of hours.

Alternatively, because I don’t wait two hours for food, you can do what I do and pat them dry with a tea towel.

Coat them liberally with olive oil in a bowl. The spread them out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Soul Food Seasoning…

Or Garam Marsala.. or whatever your seasoning of choice may be… and place in a 450 oven for 30-40 minutes.

Set your time for 15 minutes and roll ’em around to shift positions. Then set for another 15 minutes. U do 15 and 15 because the last 1- minutes is critical. They will overcook the instant your back is turned. You want them to be well browned, but you don’t want them to be…well, let’s use the term “extra-cooked”!

They will come out of the oven super-hot. Beware.

Once cooled, they are crunchy, delicious and very healthy.

Enjoy!