South France Provence cuisine use chickpeas in many preparations. Olive oil is also used almost everywhere. Hummus is a very typical Mediterranean preparation, this could be considered the French version of hummus .
So quick and easy to prepare. Ideal for vegetarians and vegans. Great as a sauce to dip raw vegetables such as red bell peppers, fennel, carrots, cucumber… or to spread on country-style bread loaf, baguette or toasts. I also like to offer this preparation as a sauce to go along with fish or a barbecue.
And as the French have a real devotion for appetizers, the moment for a drink with many things to grab before dinner, this Provencal version of hummus, enhanced with some sun dried – candied tomatoes recipe is a must, alongside tapenade, or even a focaccia which I like to prepare with cherry tomatoes.
Chickpeas, a must in Provençal cuisine
Chickpeas are a vegetable very often present in cuisine from the South of France. They can be prepared as shown in this recipe blended, or used whole in dishes, or as a flour as can be seen in the traditional food Panisse, very often served in Marseille, or cade from Toulouse, or the Socca from Nice.
Originally from Asia Minor or Anatolia, chickpeas appeared in the mediterranean region during the antiquity period. Easy to cultivate, and containing many nutritional values, the chickpea found its place within Mediterranean cuisine. Chickpeas are rich in plant based proteins as well as fibers.
Origine of la poichichade
The poichichade, a chickpea puree or cream, takes its name from the main ingredient of this recipe, chickpeas. In french chickpea is pois chiche. The word “Poichichade” or “poischcihade” (both are correct) means a mixture of “pois chiches”,chickpeas.
And unlike hummus, it does not contain sesame puree or paste, nor does it contain lemon juice, or very little. The main difference between poichichade and hummus is that poichichade does not contain sesame puree (Tahini).
How to make homemade poichichade
Making poichichade is similar to making hummus, but with slightly different ingredients.
You simply need to mix and blend all the ingredients together: chickpeas, garlic, onion, sun dried tomatoes and olive oil.
To make my life easier I use canned chickpeas, do check the quality of your chickpeas if you buy them canned, but you can also cook them yourself.
Tip! Do not throw out the cooking water or the water from the chickpea can. Aquafaba, is what we call the water used to cook the chickpeas, it has extraordinary emulsifying power. You can use it instead of egg whites for vegan chocolate mousse for example.
Another tip, is to use a small ice cube when mixing your ingredients together, this will help give the preparation a smooth aspect to it.
A few possible adaptations
- Replace your sun dried tomatoes with cooked beets, or leftover Provençal tomatoes, marinated peppers, etc. Vary according to the taste you want.
- In Provence we add more garlic, you may wish to try it the Provencal way
- To give it a lemony flavor you can replace the sun dried tomatoes with candied lemon and a little lemon juice
- Add fresh thyme or dried Provençal herbs…
How to serve poichichade
You can serve this poichichade with sun dried tomatoes as an aperitif on toast (called totis in the south) or as a dip in small dipping bowls with raw vegetables such as slices of pepper, fennel, carrot…
This preparation can also be used to accompany fish or barbecue, or as an accompaniment to a vegetarian plate to provide its share of protein.
Yum. Imagine you’re in South France Provence. Can you hear the cicadas?
Chickpeas and Sun Dried Tomatoes Provencal Drip
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 250 gr chickpeas canned
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 spring onion or ¼ onion
- 12 sundried tomatoes
- 10 cl olive oil
Instructions
- Start by peeling and finely mincing the garlic clove and the onion. It is important that they are as small as possible because they will remain raw in the preparation, just to season the dip but we don’t want it too aggressive. You may use the blender from this step but I tend to like to mince garlic and onion. Up to you.
- Using a blender, grind the drained chickpeas with the sun dried tomatoes (drained as well if you buy the in olive oil), together with garlic and onion.
- Once a homogeneous paste is obtained, gradually add the olive oil while mixing. The quantity of olive oil is just an indication and depends on how wet tomatoes and chickpeas are. Stop as soon as you get a smooth and creamy consistency.