Gabrielle Hamilton's Chickpea Salad with Four-Minute Eggs

I don't know if it's the cold weather or the darkness or the fact that I'm feeling lazier than usual, but we have been subsisting almost entirely on pantry staples for over a week now. Normally, I go to the grocery store almost every day, just to pick up a fresh bundle of greens or a grapefruit or two, a little bit of fish or chicken, or to get quick inspiration from the aisles before I trundle home. But it's been a rough week, I guess, and I haven't had the energy or the stamina for that. So instead I'm working through the cans and sacks in the kitchen and whatever I can find in the crisper drawer or the fridge.

Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food has been helping us out nicely - I made a seriously abbreviated and yet totally delectable Chicken Tikka Masala on Wednesday that had us hunched over our plates in glee, though we ate it up so quickly I couldn't take a photo for you; and I've got big plans for a bag of frozen peas and an onion come Monday or Tuesday. (The excitement! I know, you can barely stand it.) There are other things, too - our old workhorse: pasta with tomato sauce, and our new favorite, Molly and Brandon's black beans, which has been our Saturday lunch for the past three weeks and counting.

(It's kind of amazing, all the things you can do with well-stocked cupboards and some inspiration...)

And then there is this chickpea salad, which does an amazing job of cleaning out your entire fridge (what do you mean, you don't have a bundle of parsley, a handful of green olives, a couple of eggs, and some dodgy-looking radishes hanging around like a bunch of thugs in the back? Who are you?) in addition to tasting pretty darn good, packing a nutritional punch and looking much like spring on a plate, which is a highly desirable thing in the miserable depths of winter when all you can do is think long and hard about how uncomfortably hot it will surely get, once again, just be patient, mmhm, mmhm.

You layer smashed and unsmashed chickpeas, dressed with a sharp lemon vinaigrette, with a spiky little salad of parsley leaves, quartered radishes, green olives and some scallions for good measure (though those were the one things that I didn't have, and I wasn't exactly going to go out and buy some, was I, so I did without - you can, too). Then you balance wobbly eggs cooked to molten-yolk perfection on top. With crusty bread waiting in the sidelines, you gleefully use your fork to split open the egg and watch the yolk ooze around the plate, dressing the salad with its sweet, sticky, yellow self.

It's quite a strange little meal, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's a kitchen-sink salad, and though I don't usually like kitchen-sink salads, this one's different, somewhat special, weird and funky, strange but tasty. More than anything, it's fresh. Which might seem funny considering that all of the ingredients had been knocking around my kitchen for longer than anyone would care to think, but that's the odd genius of it.

So tell me, readers: what are your favorite pantry meals? What do you cook when you just can't bear going outside to the store again and you have to make do with what you've got?

Chickpea Salad with Four-Minute Eggs
Serves 4

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup small green olives, pitted
10 small red radishes, quartered
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, lightly crush half of the chickpeas; mix in the whole chickpeas. Add half of the vinaigrette to the chickpeas and toss. Add the olives, radishes, parsley and scallions to the rest of the vinaigrette and toss. Spoon the chickpea salad onto 4 plates and top with the parsley salad.

2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and boil over moderately high heat for 4 minutes. Drain, then rinse the eggs under cool water for 1 minute. Using the back of a spoon, gently crack the eggs all over and peel the shell off.

3. Set an egg on each salad and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the salads with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Comments

[Mercedes]

Glad you're feeling better- I think it's nice to dig around and clean out the pantry sometimes.
I like to make beans in tahini sauce- mix together lots of tahini, plenty of lemon, a bit of garlic, and a touch of water, then put in a pan and warm gently. Add a can of beans (foul beans are traditional, but pinto beans, chickpeas, even black beans can work) and heat all together. Serve warm with pita and sliced tomatoes.
Also, variations on pasta with some anchovies or sardines are what it comes down to with the barest of pantries.

[Bobbie]

Well, tonight it was "burritos" (the quotes to disclaim ethnic authenticity), consisting of an assemblage of leftover rice, canned black beans, cilantro, salsa, avocado, grated cheddar, and cubes of cooked sweet potato, all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Not bad at all for a low effort, no special purchases meal.

Glad you're feeling better.

[Liz]

I usually have a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, a sack of black beans, an onion or two, and a head of garlic, which (along with a few dried herbs) is enough to make a big pot of chili. You just mince the onions and garlic, saute in a bit of olive oil, throw in the spices, beans, maybe a splash of vinegar, and enough water to fill the pot, and let the whole mess simmer for a couple of hours. Adjust the spices once the beans are soft, and you're done. That, some grated cheese, plain yogurt, and perhaps some homemade tortillas (which I usually keep in the freezer for emergency meals), is enough to feed everyone for the week, and it's easy to do on a Sunday, when I'm trying to get everything around the house done before the weekend ends. And it's great in cold weather (like today -- guess what I had for dinner?)

[Sarah H]

Mine always have eggs of some sort. Today it was scrambled eggs on leftover focaccia (your recipe- so delicious- I've already made it twice) with mayo and dijon and some mache and watercress from the balcony.

[Vicki]

Fried rice! If you don't have any leftover white rice, cook a new batch, spread it out, and let it cool to warm-ish. Cold is better, but if you're pressed for time, warm works (hot doesn't). Stirfry whatever you have lying around, add the rice, soy sauce, oil as needed, and, a few minutes later, dinner!

[Honeybee]

For winter, red lentil soup. I always have red lentils because they're so fast to cook. Then a chopped up carrot or two (THE winter vegetable staple), a sweet potato if I'm lucky, a little grated ginger, a chopped onion, a spoonfull of curry paste. It all gets fried in a little olive oil, then covered in stock and it all simmers for about twenty minutes before I blend it and add some coconut milk (those little cartons keep forever). A splash of lemon juice, fish sauce and a spoonfull of brown sugar and dinner is ready.

The chickpea salad looks very good. I love to mop up runny egg yolk with bread.

[kickpleat]

i too am living out of my cupboards and i think i'm going to tackle chickpeas next (or maybe lentils). anyway, this meal looks fantastic!

[lobstersquad]

Yep, I´ve been very lazy about shopping lately. But combining the store cupboard with the freezer, we´ve managed very well so far. Friday was specially memorable, with a beautiful focaccia, the last frozen roast tomatoes and peppers and a can of the best tuna chunks in olive oil.
Pasta with tomato sauce will always be the favourite staple for me, though, and I´d be lost without dried mushrooms.

[Christine]

My go-to pantry meal is the Pasta Sauce Raphael from the New Basics Cookbook - onions, garlic, spices, canned tomatoes, marinated artichokes, parmesan cheese. I stock up on marinated artichokes when they're on sale, and the flat-leaf parsley is completely optional in my opinion.

[ann]

I made a Marcella Hazan-inspired soup on Saturday night that was kind of like this salad in a bowl. It's her Aqua Cotta soup from Maremma, just olive oil, some frozen legumes, garlic, artichoke hearts, whatever mire poix is poking about and eggs poached in the broth. It's amazing that such simple staples can provide so much warmth and comfort. I kind of like cooking this time of year, especially when I don't have to go outside. It's coooold out there baby!

[Julie]

Soups are my usual go-to from the pantry, depending on what's in the house. Lentil soups of any and all kinds work well, depending on what the pantry and the fridge yield. Today, though, it's going to be carrot and leek soup, I have a feeling -- considering there are two pounds of organic carrots in the fridge, and some leeks as well.

I'm also big on keeping ingredients on hand for simple linguine carbonara -- it comes together so quickly.

[shauna]

Oh, this looks so good. Just my style of food right now too.

anything with a poached egg on top is even better.

I still just love chickpeas with a tangy vinaigrette, sea salt, and fresh mozzarella.

And fennel. Fennel with lemon, a slather of good olive oil, and French feta.

When all else fails, there are always nachos!

[Astra Libris]

Your chickpea salad looks - oooh, oh so delicious! Your description of the gooey egg is fantastic...

Legumes are the perfect pantry staple, aren't they? When I'm fixing a pantry staple, I almost always fix either -
chili, with all sorts of beans, some sausage and cheddar cheese, OR
fritters of some sort - usually tuna fritters or potato fritters!

[jenny]

I have to chime in on the various legume dishes suggested here, although my favorite don't-make-me-go-to-the-store, not to mention quick (like five minutes or less--seriously), winter meal has become a homemade version of egg drop soup. proportions: 2 cups chicken broth to 1 large or x-large egg and 1 scallion. (you can make huge quantities and reheat, if you want 2-minute meals for the rest of the week.)

boil the broth (hopefully it's good quality--homemade, out of your freezer, from a time when you were actually feeling motivated in the kitchen--although commercial works in a pinch). meanwhile, chop scallion(s), then crack an egg/eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork for 20 seconds. pour egg(s) through a strainer into the boiling broth, forming lovely egg-y ribbons. turn off heat. add chopped scallions, any seasoning to taste, stir and serve. super satisfying and delish.

[Susan in Williamsburg, VA]

Tonight - I had a package of boneless thighs thawed - I coarsely chopped up onions, mushrooms, carrots and sugar snap peas (all in the fridge). I put olive oil and a little butter in my pan and browned the thighs along with a little kosher salt and thyme for about 6 to 8 minutes, threw all the veggies in and about 1/4 cup of white wine and let it simmer for about 20 minutes; orzo with a little parmesan cheese grated over and a quick waldorf salad -- all from "what I had around".

[Caroline]

This looks fantastic. There is nothing more satisfying to me than making something delectable with what you scavenge from your own pantry and fridge.

I usually whip up some sort of omlette filled with the random items from the crisper drawer and of course, cheese!

[EB]

Any chance of getting that tikka masala recipe?

As fo my 'oh crap-- there's nothing in here and I AM NOT going to the market' moments I tend to reach for a can of imported Italian tuna in olive oil. Either in a quick pasta with peas or on a salad it makes an instant meal.

Erin

[Hillary]

Oh wow, those eggs look magnificent! I love hard boiled egg whites with runny yolks so those are perfect to me.

[gemma]

That's easy. Heinz baked beans on toast. But they HAVE to come hand-delivered from England. I swear they taste better that way
x

[danielle]

I made this last night and loved it. took the leftovers to work for lunch (with a hardboiled egg instead) and shared with a co-worker. She loved it too! yummy, yummy eats.

[Carly]

There is not a thing in that salad that I don't love, but I don't think in a million years would I have come up with that combination. But thanks to you and for sharing this recipe, it will be dinner tomorrow (all from the pantry and, yes, those sad radishes still lingering in my crisper). Anything with a poached egg on top is for me.

[Luisa]

Oh my goodness, everyone, I don't even know where to begin - red lentil soup, "burritos", "foul"...who cares about newspaper recipes where there are pantry recipes to be discovered?!? What amazing inspiration and how fun to see how you all eat when there's "nothing" in the house. Thank you for sharing!

Erin - of course! It is sooo simple - you will commit it to memory immediately. This is Nigel Slater's recipe with some tweaks from me.

6 chicken thighs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
3 plump cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps curry powder
a few shakes of ground cinnamon
a few shakes of cayenne pepper
a few shakes of ground cumin
a few shakes of ground coriander
3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (I like the Muir Glen brand - it's about 1 can and a half)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 bag of petite frozen peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
juice of 1/2 lemon

Rub salt and pepper into the chicken. Heat the butter and oil in a shallow pan, add the chicken and cook till the skin is golden on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the onions and garlic and cook over a medium heat until soft, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder and spices. Cook for 4 minutes until the spices are cooked. Add the tomatoes and the stock, put the chicken back into the pan, then simmer until the chicken pieces are tender and cooked right through, about 15 minutes. A few minutes before the end, add the frozen peas and stir to combine.

Stir in the cream. Taste the sauce. Add salt and pepper and the lemon juice, a little at a time, tasting as you go. Simmer for 1 minute, then serve hot, with basmati rice.

[Annmarie]

Tonight I was totally going to stop by the store on my way home but then saw the snow and made this instead...

I cut two pieces of crusty bread off a load and topped with rotisserie chicken, some cut up cheese (I had Edam, but you could use almost anything...), mixed greens, sundried tomatoes, and a little bit of olive oil.

Voila, an open-faced sandwich!

[Jen]

Hi Luisa, it's Jen from Salt Lake again. I've been a long-time reader and apparently this is my week for delurking with abandon. This is a lovely little recipe, and, like the focaccia, very forgiving. As I was determined to make this without going to the store, I had to make some substitutions, the results of which were quite nice: celery instead of radishes, shallots instead of scallions, and your basic pimento-stuffed green olive instead of something pitted. While I lost the lovely red from the radishes (the pimentos didn't quite make up the difference), I nevertheless loved the salad. Thank you for sharing!!

[Belle]

hmm my favorite is beans and kale with onions, garlic and vinegar. Everyone in my house loves it. Sometimes I add sweet potatoes or mushroom. And I can take the leftovers and add some Italian breadcumbs and an egg and mix in the food processor. Then I make Bean cakes. All delicious and easy.

[Meg]

I love pantry meals. They're usually so low-pressure, just scrounging around and sorting out what's possible. For dinner, I love a pasta puttanesca, chock full of things that keep forever. For lunch a tuna-garbanzo bean salad with minced shallot, olive oil and sherry vinegar is tops, especially in summer, when some ripe, just-picked cherry tomatoes can be thrown in. I might have some dirty little secrets in the pantry that I eat... like pizza rolls.

[candyce]

hi!
great post and can't wait to try your chickpea salad!
i almost always keep a bag of individually-wrapped tilapia fillets in the freezer. they thaw within 20mins and if not, i run them under hot water until they do.
anyway, my quick fix with whatever's in my pantry are fish tacos!
as a matter of fact, i made these last night and the hubby and i devoured them.
i basically slowly fry the tilapia fillets, then break into chunks, into a corn tortilla... then add a mix of mayo, grated horseradish, hot (giardinera) peppers, and cheddar cheese.
yum yum yum! quick and easy!

[Kat]

I just made this last night. Well, I sortof made this last night. I didn't have parsley, so I used chopped up spinach. I didn't have scallions, so I sauteed some thin slices of onions in butter until soft and almost sweet. I did have the radishes, so after I quartered them I mixed them with the spinach, sauteed onions, and chickpeas. I made beet salad with horseradish sauce (recipe also from this site) last week and had some of the sauce still in my fridge, so that became the vinaigrette. I just whisked some extra olive oil and white wine vinegar in with it to make it more liquid. I tossed it together with the chickpea mix, threw the poached egg on top, and yum. I totally recommend that people use the beet salad sauce as salad dressing - delicious.

[gemma]

that chicken tikka recipe was SCRUMMY. Just finished licking our plates x

[Adrienne]

I made this salad about a month ago, then I ate it about three more times, and now I am newly obsessed with radishes. Thank you!

[fahrrad]

Dies ist ein großer Ort. Ich möchte hier noch einmal.