Of late, beans have been featuring nearly everyday at the Gastro lab here. I’ve always enjoyed cooking with them; versatile and immensely nutritious, they ought to be a daily ingredient. However, thanks to my obstinacy over only having to stock them in their dried form, they take a little more effort and time than I’m willing to spend.

Nevertheless, I was seized by bean fever when I rearranged my pantry and found a jar full of Ceci, or chickpeas. Rich in zinc, folate, protein and fiber, they are great in soups and stews, salads, curries; eve dry roasted with spices or sweetened in syrup (as is apparently done for the Phillipine dish Halo-halo).

While Channa Masala remains my most favorite way to enjoy these little things, I am also partial to Mediterranean salads and sautes in which they play an ever so subtle role.

One of the two ways mentioned in the title, was a simple saute, Provencal in style. Accompanied by sliced onion, fennel and carrot in a tomato paste/garlic base, it makes for an excellent light lunch with some pain de campagne. I threw in some carrots for a bit of vegetable intake and garnished the lot with parsley. Different versions can include a touch of smoked Pimenton or a little lemon juice.

The other thing I did with the big batch I had soaked for over 12 hours and cooked for about 1, was a pasta sauce.  I had avoided making a Ceci sauce for a long time out of sheer laziness, but I couldn’t imagine why right after. It was rich, creamy and, with just a bit of  grated Parmesan sprinkled on top,  it was the perfect savory pick-me-up for a dull Sunday.