TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) -- — If you've ever been to Feast on Speedway Boulevard, you might know the team in the kitchen likes to switch their menu up each month.
The Good Morning Tucson team asked executive chef Doug Levy if he could whip up something simple and satisfying. He indulged our request, and shared this recipe: a twist on a side of fries.
Levy walked us back to the kitchen and showed us that these fried morsels are not made with potatoes. He pointed to a container filled with chickpea flour. "This," he said, "is to chickpeas as cornmeal is to corn."
Levy said many grocery stores sell this kind of flour. Diners might find the finished version of this recipe on other menus with the name 'Panisse.'
"It's sort of a chickpea porridge that's thickened and set, then griddled," he said. "It's the same as making polenta or oatmeal or any sort of grain in liquid."
First, heat up some vegetable stock. Levy and the Feast team make theirs in house, but your preferred store brand works just as well. Then add some olive oil and kosher salt.
Now it's time to chop the cauliflower. Levy said he recommends you cut in bigger chunks to preserve some of the texture. "This just gives it a little meat, as it were. A little heft... so we're just going to take this head of cauliflower like so and kind of peel off those green outer leaves."
Take a break from chopping the cauliflower to coat your sheet pan. You can use vegetable-based oil, like they do at Feast, or even switch to butter or olive oil.
Next, Levy said, bring the veggie stock to a boil, then reduce it to simmer and gradually whisk in your chickpea flour. "You don't want to cook this too quickly," he said. "It'll get gluey and sticky. We have that sort of orange-y consistency. It's a little grainy, but that's okay! It actually gives it a little bit of texture."
After that, fold in the chopped cauliflower. At this point, Levy said, you can sprinkle in your favorite herbs and spices. "This would be great with Mediterranean herbs like basil or oregano; it would be great with maybe some garlic."
Levy pointed to his pan and showed what the final mixture should look like. "You can see it hardly takes any time at all to do." Five ingredients yield this result, but we're not done yet. Next, spread the porridge in the pan, let set, and cut into individual rectangles for fries.
Doug said how you prepare the mix will change its health benefits. The Feast staff deep fry these for diners. "Everything's kind of crunchy and crispy and beautiful when you deep fry, but we can't always deep fry everything," Levy said. In that case, why not try a version that's pan-fried or sauteed?
In either case, talk about a satisfying complement to a hearty, protein-based meal. Feast serves its chickpea cauliflower fries as a side to their hangar steak.
Levy shared Feast's recipe to serve their diners. He recommended you cut these measurements in half to enjoy the dish at home:
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 1/8 cups chickpea flour
1 1/4 cups grated cauliflower
- Heat the stock with the oil and salt in a saucepan
- Once hot, but not boiling, whisk in the chickpea flour
- Whisk over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about three minutes
- Switch to a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, add grated cauliflower and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes until very thick and the batter holds its own shape
- Scrape into oiled half sheet pan and let cool
- Cut into rectangles and either:
- Fry the planks in vegetable oil heated to 350 degrees until golden brown, about one minute
- Or sear in a saute pan over medium heat with a small amount of oil, about 45 seconds on each side
