Jamaican Ackee-Style Chickpea Toasts

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 thick slices bread
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 Scotch bonnet, minced, or 1 whole for milder heat
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Drain the chickpeas well and crush about half of them roughly with a fork, leaving the rest whole. That mix of whole and broken is what gives the soft, curd-like texture ackee has.
2. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until soft.
3. Add the garlic, thyme, and Scotch bonnet and stir for 30 seconds. If you want the perfume without the full heat, drop the chili in whole and fish it out at the end.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes, pressing them down, until they collapse into a thick sauce with no watery liquid left.
5. Fold in the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes, turning them gently so the whole ones stay intact.
6. Handle it like scrambled egg from here: fold rather than stir, so it stays in soft clumps instead of turning to paste.
7. Season generously with salt and plenty of black pepper, and stir in most of the scallions.
8. Toast the bread until crisp, pile the mixture on top, and finish with the remaining scallions, the herbs, and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains gluten.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.