I want to be put to music, too!
Balela, Phantom Mediterranean Salad November 15, 2008
Perfect picnic food. Great in any season. Hearty (chickpeas), refreshing (tomato and mint), spicy (onion, garlic, and pepper), with great texture (smooth and crunchy). I loooove balela.
Trader Joe’s sells balela in little eight ounce containers. Unfortunately, my appetite for balela is exponentially greater than the servings they offer! Also, it’s a little expensive. I looked for a recipe online, but couldn’t find one. Desperate, out of options, with a hungry belly only 1/4 full of the balela I wished to eat, I looked at the ingredients list on the side of the container, and made it myself.
Ingredients:
Two 15 ounce cans chickpeas
3/4 cup tomatoes chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (I use cherry tomatoes for a firmer bite)
1/2 cup Vidalia onion chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup minced fresh mint, parsley, or mint and parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (regular white vinegar is fine, but I like balsamic better)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon powdered hot pepper
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and pour into a bowl. After that, pour everything in the bowl and gently mix together. Eat. Eat a lot. Share with your boyfriend so he also has onion and garlic breath. Later, after dessert, while watching TV, eat some more. Sustain boyfriend’s garlic breath by sneaking a few extra chickpeas into his mouth. Spear the last wayward bits and consume. Sigh happily.
