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Chickpea Cake with Fava Leaves and Arugula Salad





Yields
Serves 6




Total Time
1 hr

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.

su-Chickpea Cake with Fava Leaves and Arugula Salad




Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Kevin Crafts
  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
  Fennel and Orange Dressing
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.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 0


Amount Per Serving
Calories 395Calories from Fat 61
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 28g44%

Saturated Fat 3.9g20%
Cholesterol 0.0mg0%
Sodium 987mg42%
Total Carbohydrate 30g10%

Dietary Fiber 6.2g25%
Protein 9.2g19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.