Sunday Small Bites - Week 19 Montasio-Chickpea Flatbreads

The latest ingredient of the week for the Sunday Small Bites cooking group on slowtravel was chickpeas selected by Kathy.

Chickepeas are a healthy legume . . . they are a helpful source of zinc, folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and hence a healthy source of carbohydrates for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetes. Chickpeas are low in fat and most of this is polyunsaturated. Leave it to the small bite crew to end our 19 week exploration of appetizers on a healthy note!

I took this to heart and went with a quick and relatively healthy small bite for the week. This recipe was created by Food and Wine chef Grace Parisi.

Here you top store-bought naan or pita (we used whole wheat pita) with chickpeas, montasio (a nutty Italian cheese), green onions, and cayenne pepper. I added a bit more cayenne pepper because we like a bit of a 'bite'. The result was wonderful.

The recipe was originally written for an article entitled 'Impromptu 1-Hour Party' and this recipe sure fits that bill. . . so long as you had the cheese handy!

Montasio-Chickpea Flatbreads

One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 scallion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Coarse salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Montasio, young pecorino or Fontina cheese
Four 12-inch round flatbreads, such as naan or pocketless pita

Preheat the oven to 450° and preheat a griddle.

In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with the scallion, cayenne and 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Using a fork, coarsely mash the chickpeas. Stir in the cheese. Spread the mixture over the flatbreads, leaving a 1-inch border.

Brush the griddle with oil and, working in batches, add the flatbreads, cheese side up. Cook over high heat until the bottoms are lightly browned, 2 minutes.

Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Transfer to a work surface, cut the flatbreads into wedges and serve hot or warm.

Comments

[Deborah]

Jerry, I loved reading this recipe. I have the chickpeas, I have the pita, I have the scallions. I don't have the montasio, but I do have fontina.
I'm set.

[Candi]

Looks really good, healthy and easy to make. I shall try it.

[Kathy (Trekcapri)]

Hi Jerry, it's so great to read about how healthy chick peas are in your post. Your recipe looks so delicious. I want to try it too.

Thanks so much for sharing.

[JDeQ]

Thanks. We discovered that these were even better a few days later as a lunch. A few colleagues in the office were coveting my flatbreads! LOL