Last weekend I made my first trip of the summer to Provincetown for my friends’ wedding. While there, I was told by a coworker that I wasn’t allowed to leave town until I tried his friends’ new sandwich shop, Pop + Dutch. I did as I was told and left the store with one of the most unusual sandwiches I’d had in a long time: smashed chickpeas and arugula on Iggy’s ciabatta bread. The smashed chickpeas had the texture of coarse hummus, minus tahini, plus a few other bright ingredients, such as aged Gouda cheese, parsley and preserved lemon. If you’re unfamiliar with this final ingredient, it’s essentially brined lemons—it’s intensely citrusy and slightly sour.
As expected, the sandwich was gone soon after I unwrapped it, but I wanted to bring a version of it back to Boston with me, so I whipped up the recipe below, adding shallot and smoked paprika and eating it on crackers or a green salad.
Smashed Chickpeas with Preserved Lemon
Makes about 1½ cups
You can find preserved lemon at Whole Foods, or you can substitute regular lemon zest and juice, to taste.
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup grated aged Gouda cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 teaspoons preserved lemon, minced
1 small shallot, minced
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Combine all ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Using fork, mash everything together until combined but still rough-looking. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers, on a sandwich or in a salad.
