Giada's Ceci, Pistachio and Almond Mix

Submitted by BarbryT

"Sweet and spicy and crunchy and delicious. Great to have in your desk drawer for snacking when you "forget" to eat lunch. With vegan, vegetarian and omniverous friends, it served as a perfect hoiday gift. I must have made 3 quarts of it to give away...and that doesn't count the considerable amount I have consumed myself. May use one pre-made recipe #205255 in place of the preparing the garbanzo beans as indicated below."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 9
• Yields: 3 cups
• Serves: 8-12

ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and dried
• 4 tablespoons total olive oil
• 1 cup shelled raw pistachios
• 1 cup raw almonds (blanched or not)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leave
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375degrees F.
2. Place garbanzo beans on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with 1 T olive oil and toss to coat thoroughly.
4. Spread the beans in a single layer.
5. Bake until dark golden--about 40 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients (sugar, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and cayenne) with 3 T olive oil.
7. Remove the beans from the oven and combine with the pistachios and almonds.
8. Pour the seasoning mixture over the beans and nuts and toss to coat thoroughly.
9. Return mixture to the baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes.
10. Let cool and serve (or store).

Reviews

[bluemoon downunder]

This is a recipe I'll be making often to provide at-work-snacks for days when I've been too disorganised or exhausted to bring something suitable to eat. I was able to skip the first five steps as I have been buying regularly a product that this recipe has now replaced - cooked garbanza bean snacks. Problem was that they were somewhat bland! Except for omitting the cayenne pepper (I did add generous grindings of black pepper) - zero tolerance of anything hot and spicy - and using a rosemary and sage blend from a mini grinder instead of fresh rosemary, I followed the recipe exactly. LOVED the end result, and I will be experimenting more as I make these in future with different nut combinations. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Made for PRMR.

 

[januarybride]

Very good stuff. Next time I will use less rosemary, just personal preference. I used Pistachios, Almonds and Cashews with much success. Thanks!

 

[Stephanie Z.]

Mmmm this is a yummy snack. I like the mixture of nuts used as well as the seasonings. Thanks for posting!

 

[MrsDoty]

These provided a nice, savory change of pace to our snacking regimen. I too experienced the slightly mushy ceci in the finshed product during my first run. During the second run, I turned on my oven's convection option. As that effectively adds 25 degees F to the temperature, someone without a convection oven can boost the heat by 25 degrees F. Just stay near the oven, as you'll need to check more often. My DH is already asking when I'm going to make another batch. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dorie's Lori]

My husband and my young daughter loved these nuts, so I will give them 4 stars. I was attracted to the combination of sweet and savoury, but in the end, I liked them OK, but not a favorite. First, I want to say that these were pretty fast and easy to whip up! I did not have fresh herbs available, and used a rounded 1/4 t. of powdered rosemary and a scant t. of dried thyme, rubbed in my fingers. After sampling, I feel like these quantities were fine. However, I found them a bit bland - I think next time, I would increase the sugar and salt. One reason may be that a lot of the seasoning stuck to the mixing bowl and the baking pan. I also thought that they were a bit oily, and might use half or a little more of the 3T of oil next time. I used about 1/3 of (strong) EVOO and 2/3 canola. They smelled way too olivey when baking, but upon eating, the OO flavor was just right, and really complemented the other flavors. My other note is about the chick peas. I baked them 40 minutes, and they were a beautiful dark golden. In fact, they were pretty yummy - still a bit moist/chewy in the center. A bunch didn't make it into the recipe ;-) and I can't wait to make some plain with just a bit of salt. However, in the nut mix, I personally didn't care for the softer texture among the crunchy nuts. Now, all that said, my husband thought they were perfect as is, and is looking forward to bring some to work.