The Teaspoon: Anchovy and Chickpea Crostinis

By Diana

I know is been a while since our last post, but I am going to skip all the explanations and essay excuses and jump straight into a new recipe that I hope can be used as a public apology.

After the success of the Pear and Roquefort Bruschettas, we wanted to suggest another easy and tasty entrance, appropriate for the freshness of upcoming spring/summer. For those of you who are tired of buying the same £1 packed hummus from the supermarket like we are, I suggest you try this one out: Chickpeas and Anchovy Crostinis. Although the fact that the paste is made with chickpeas, lemon and spices does not make it exactly a hummus, it has that Middle-Eastern essence that you will immediately associate with something else more Mediterranean once you discover the flavour of the anchovies. Plus the bite-size does make it a great aperitive, perfect for almost every occasion.

We hope it works for you, Enjoy!

(Recipe versioned from Polpo Restaurant, London, UK)

Ingredients

130 g chickpeas -canned-
30 g anchovies -canned-
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 bagel
1/2 lemon, juice only
1 bagel, sliced
1 teaspoon sweet pepper, 7 spices or cumin
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 392 F.

Cut the bagel into thin slices and place them in a baking tray. Add a few drops of olive oil on top of each slice and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool down for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas, anchovies, garlic, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon parsley, sweet pepper -or cumin or 7 spices- in a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well until a soft paste is obtained.