| Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 0 mins | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 6 |
| kcal | fat | saturates | carbs |
| 275 | 14g | 2g | 32g |
| sugars | fibre | protein | salt |
| 8g | 7g | 10g | 0.39g |
Why I Love Italian Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad
Everyone, I want to introduce you to the vibrant and flavorsome Italian Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad. With a simple list of ingredients including chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic and fresh basil leaves – it is a marvel of culinary simplicity, yet delivers a gorgeous palette of taste sensations.
An Italian Inspiration with a Montana Twist
This recipe is inspired by the legendary Italian chef Massimo Bottura, but I’ve added my personal touch, drawing on my palette memories from growing up in beautiful Montana. Also, while my culinary comfort zone usually veers towards dishes emanating from ranching and Native American traditions, I find pleasure in playing with contrasting culinary traditions, and this salad offers a refreshing change from my usual specialities of bison burgers, venison steaks or huckleberry pies.
Pleasure in Simplicity
In this Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad, the humble chickpea finds harmony with the sweet cherry tomatoes, while the red onions add just the right amount of kick. Fresh basil leaves offer a fragrant twist, and together with a dressing of minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper, each bite is a tantalizing cocktail of harmonious flavors.
What I deeply love about this recipe is its undeniable simplicity. Yet, it never fails to impress my guests – a clear demonstration that good food doesn’t have to be overly complex. In fact, the best dishes are often the simplest, letting each ingredient shine.
As a chef and a food lover, I constantly seek inspiration far and wide, bringing together flavors and cooking traditions from around the world into my kitchen. This salad is a heartfelt nod to the beloved traditions of Italian culinary mastery, while also echoing the honest simplicity of the vast landscapes I grew up in.
What You’ll Need
- 3 cans (15 oz. each) of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
Method
Step One
Begin by preparing all of your ingredients: rinse and drain the chickpeas, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the large red onion, chop the fresh basil leaves, and mince the garlic cloves.
Step Two
Next, mix the rinsed chickpeas, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, and minced garlic in a large salad bowl.
Step Three
In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper. This will act as the dressing for your salad.
Step Four
Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture in the large salad bowl. Toss well to ensure all ingredients are coated with the dressing.
Step Five
Add the chopped fresh basil leaves to the salad and toss once more to distribute the basil throughout the mix.
Step Six
Allow the salad to sit for a few minutes before serving, giving the flavors a chance to meld together.
