You Should Be Mashing Your Chickpeas

First things first, I’m excited to let you know that next week I’m launching an audio course. It’s called “How to Eat Now,” it’s a project with a company called Knowable, and I’m psyched about it. The course officially launches next Tuesday (I’ll tell you all about it then), but for now, you can check out the homepage and join the waitlist if you’re interested. Okay, that’s it: Thank you. On to today’s newsletter.

My colleague Kerri is one of my personal cooking gurus. To say that she’s full of good ideas is an understatement. Like, just when you think you’ve exhausted all the possibilities involved in cooking rice, she goes and boils it in pickle juice. Her latest hack is a little less out there, but still totally smart and something that most of us don’t think to do: mashing chickpeas.

You don’t mash the garbanzos until they’re smooth and creamy like mashed potatoes (or hummus), but just until they’re roughly broken apart and dispersed throughout whatever dish you’re cooking. They have this wonderful crumbly texture and thickening power, and, as Kerri explains, are even better when you crisp them up in a skillet. She uses her clean-out-the-fridge vegetable stir-fry as a test case, but goes on to list a few of the other go-to uses for mashed chickpeas. It’s a cool little trick for a cheap ingredient that so many of us have on hand much of the time, so I think her piece (she’d call it a “ditty”) is worth a read; it’s also short, like 90 seconds. In the meantime, in honor of Kerri, I’m going to go boil some mashed chickpeas in pickle juice and see what happens.

—Mark

Talk To Me, Goose!

Questions, comments, brilliant suggestions? Just want to share the recipe for your grandma’s potato salad, or your mom’s meatloaf, or your uncle Drew’s three-day 100-percent rye loaf (yes, please)? Don’t hesitate to reach out anytime.