Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas (two 15 oz. cans, drained, rinsed and reserve some liquid)
  • 12 cup green onion, minced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 14 teaspoon minced rosemary
  • 34 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lemon, zest of
  • 12 lemon, juice of
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 12 cup all-purpose flour
  • 14 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 14 cup toasted sesame seeds
  • oil, for shallow frying
  • sea salt, for finishing
  • 1 12 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled and diced
  • 12 cup finely diced white onion
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 12 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh basil leaf
  • 13 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 3 dashes fresh ground black pepper

Method

  • For the Chickpea Cakes: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whiz until you have a fairly uniform mixture, but stop before it is completely pureed; keep some texture.
  • You should be able to form it into a ball that holds its shape and should be neither crumbly nor a batter.
  • Add reserved liquid or breadcrumbs as necessary to find the right moisture level.
  • Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over a medium-high flame.
  • Take a golf-ball sized piece of dough, press it in your hands into a flattened 3-inch patty and place in the skillet.
  • Repeat with as many as will fit comfortably without touching.
  • Fry on one side until golden brown, about 3 minutes, then flip and brown the other side.
  • Remove to paper towels and finish with a little bit of sea salt.
  • Serve with Tomato Jam.
  • To Make Tomato Jam: Combine the tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, basil, honey and salt in a saucepan.
  • Add a couple dashes of cayenne pepper and black pepper.
  • Bring to a simmer (Michael notes that you dont need to worry about adding water as the tomatoes will produce plenty of liquid as they cook).
  • Once simmering, adjust the heat on the stove to keep the tomatoes simmering until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about an hour.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings.
  • Serve at room temperature.
  • Can be refrigerated up to three days.
  • Makes about 1 cup.