CHICKPEA JAM

Unusual and utterly delightful: at first bite you just think: oh so good, but it’s not an obvious bean flavour. It makes a fudge-like mixture that is delicious pread on buttered toast or toasted scone/soda bread, for breakfast, with cafe or tea.

Recipe by Marlena Spieler

  Time: 35 minutes
  Difficulty: moderate
  Makes: about 250ml jar

  INGREDIENTS

• 1 can chickpeas, plus their juice (400g)

• 200 g sugar

• tiny pinch salt (unless chickpeas are in salted water, then omit)

• seeds of 3 cardomom pods

• 2 tablespoons butter

• several shakes/dashes rosewater

METHOD

Place the chickpeas, their canning liquid, the sugar, a small pinch of salt and the seeds from the cardomom pods in a smallish saucepan.

Bring to the boil over medium high heat as it foams up, taking care that it doesn’t boil over the pot. Keep cooking until about half the liquid has evaporated and the chickpeas look slightly caramelized.

Puree with a stick blender until smooth, then return to the heat and continue cooking until the mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter as well as the rosewater. Cool until ready to serve.