Paper Chef #31

For a long time I've wanted to do an Iron Chef-type challenge, and recently discovered Paper Chef. This is my first entry, but I didn't get it done in time to submit. It was fun to try the challenge anyway, and I was surprised how tasty it was. The challenge ingredients were chick peas, oregano, walnuts, and fish steak. I used salmon, but took it off the bone and pan seared it with a little bit of salt in light olive oil. I wanted to finish the dish with sea salt, so didn't use much seasoning.



I've always thought of chick peas as a Middle Eastern ingredient, but I wanted to try using them in a different way. I used 12 oz. low-sodium canned cooked, rinsed, and drained chick peas. I'm growing herbs in pots on my patio, and had some nice Greek oregano, which is kind of spicy and lemony, so I thought a spicy lemon dressing would be good with the peas and the salmon. I picked some onion chives, the oregano, flat parsley, and cilantro. I toasted the walnuts lightly, and chopped everything. The chick peas went into the food processor with the chopped herbs, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 tsp. chili de arbol, 1/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. I added 1/3 cup of the chopped toasted walnuts and folded them in. Then I squeezed in the juice of one small lemon and 2 tablespoons of walnut oil. After tasting, I adjusted the seasonings (including adding a bit more oil), and plated with the salmon and some halved cherry tomatoes. I finished with a sprinkling of grey sea salt and extra chopped herbs. It was delish!