Lemon and Thyme Chickpea Balls

Lemon and thyme chickpea balls are a delicious and simple dish to prepare. Remember that here we will introduce an Italian touch to this recipe, so let’s see how to prepare them with an eye to Italian culinary tradition.

Ingredients

• 400 g of canned chickpeas or previously soaked and cooked
• 1 clove of garlic
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme)
• 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour or other type, plus extra for breading
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Preparation

1. If you’re using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them well. If you’ve cooked the chickpeas yourself, make sure they are soft and cool. Put them in a food processor along with the peeled garlic clove.

2. Blend the chickpeas and garlic until you have a homogeneous mixture.

3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the grated lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped thyme, chickpea flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well until you have a uniform dough. If it is too soft to form the balls, add more flour.

4. Form small balls with the dough, then roll them in the set-aside chickpea flour.

5. Heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry the balls until they are golden and crispy on all sides.

6. Drain them on paper towels to remove the excess oil.

7. Serve them hot, accompanied by a spray of fresh lemon juice and, if you like, a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.

Curiosity

Chickpeas are a very common ingredient in vegetarian and vegan cuisine thanks to their high protein content. These balls are a light and tasty variant of traditional falafel and can be served as an appetizer or as a light second course. The touch of lemon makes them particularly suitable for summer cuisine.