Chickpea Cake with Fava Leaves and Arugula Salad
Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Kevin Crafts
At Gather Restaurant in Berkeley, CA, Sean Baker serves the chickpea cake with the salad plus seasonal additions like stinging nettles, braised black trumpet mushrooms, and pine-nut salsa.
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Make chickpea cake: Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and heat until simmering. Sprinkle in chickpea flour and yeast, whisking until smooth.
Step 2
2
Transfer mixture to a food processor. Purée until as smooth as baby food. Stir in thyme, fava leaves, and salt. Pour into a greased 9- by 13-in. baking dish. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top and use your hand to level mixture. Chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 2 days.
Step 3
3
Invert cake onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares, then cut each square again diagonally to make 24 triangles.
Step 4
4
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown triangles, turning once, 8 minutes total; add oil as needed. Set on 6 plates.
Step 5
5
Make salad: Toss arugula, fennel fronds, parsley, and half the vinaigrette in a bowl. Spoon salad over chickpea triangles and serve remaining dressing on the side.
Step 6
6
*Find chickpea flour and nutritional yeast at natural-food stores or well-stocked grocery stores. Find fava leaves at farmers' markets; if using spinach leaves instead, increase chickpea flour to 2 cups.
Step 7
7
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving with 3 tbsp. dressing. Total time does not include chilling time.
Ingredients
CHICKPEA CAKE
About 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 qt. reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 2/3 cups chickpea (garbanzo) flour*
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast*
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 cups lightly packed fava leaves or baby spinach*
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ARUGULA SALAD
1 qt. lightly packed baby arugula
1/2 cup fennel fronds
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
Step 1
1
Make chickpea cake: Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and heat until simmering. Sprinkle in chickpea flour and yeast, whisking until smooth.
Step 2
2
Transfer mixture to a food processor. Purée until as smooth as baby food. Stir in thyme, fava leaves, and salt. Pour into a greased 9- by 13-in. baking dish. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top and use your hand to level mixture. Chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 2 days.
Step 3
3
Invert cake onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares, then cut each square again diagonally to make 24 triangles.
Step 4
4
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown triangles, turning once, 8 minutes total; add oil as needed. Set on 6 plates.
Step 5
5
Make salad: Toss arugula, fennel fronds, parsley, and half the vinaigrette in a bowl. Spoon salad over chickpea triangles and serve remaining dressing on the side.
Step 6
6
*Find chickpea flour and nutritional yeast at natural-food stores or well-stocked grocery stores. Find fava leaves at farmers' markets; if using spinach leaves instead, increase chickpea flour to 2 cups.
Step 7
7
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving with 3 tbsp. dressing. Total time does not include chilling time.
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