Lebanese Chickpea Salad

By norsegal8

Chickpeas, also called garbanzos are really more bean than pea. Here, they are the main player in a type of salad popular throughout the Middle East. This version features sumac, a classic ingredient in Lebanese cooking. Purchased dried at specialty stores, sumac looks like chili powder, but has a bright, acidic, lemony lfavor. In fact, if you can't find sumac, you can add another tablespoon of lemon juice to the dressing. Serve this salad accompanied by pita breads or naan bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, or drained canned chickpeas (I doubled this)
• 1 teaspoon ground sumac (I love the tang of sumac and used 3 tbsp)
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed (finely diced, mainly because our garlic press is in storage)
• 2 tablespoons dried spearmint (I used 1 tbsp of fresh mint, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste (in my version, 3 tbsp)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (after tasting and adjusting, I ended up with 3 tsbp)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (this was perfect, after doubling the chickpeas and making the above adjustments)
• salt to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Put chickpeas in a serving bowl. Mix remaining ingredients together either by whisking in a bowl, or shaking in a jar. Toss the chickpeas with the dressing, and season to taste with salt and other seasonings. Allow to stand 30 minutes so that the flavors have a chance to blend.