Cerignola olives and chickpeas appetizer 

There are many variations to make appetizers, the appetizer of chickpeas tomatoes and olives is one of them. A nutritious and fresh appetizer, to be served for lunch or dinner as a side dish or maybe as a main course. Very easy and quick to prepare. In addition to being a single dish, if placed inside glasses it becomes a delicious finger food, tasty and cheerful that will appeal to all your guests. Try this recipe with an interesting taste and a very tasty flavor, and you will see that it will become your workhorse, especially in summer when friends come for dinner! 

Here we used dried chickpeas, but if you do not have time or do not want to risk being too hot, you can also start from the boiled ones and in this way it becomes a very clever recipe to make and redo as often as you want! The chickpea salad, tomatoes and olives is an ideal preparation for cold days, the perfect way to enjoy legumes even in winter, because the result is very fresh and tasty and if you have leftovers, you can safely take it with you to the office the next day. We seasoned our cold chickpea salad with cherry tomatoes and black olives and it is with the latter that a light pesto is also created. 

The result is delicious, a wonderful winter recipe, tasty and nutritious ready in a few minutes! Try my easy and tasty proposal and let me know if you liked it and if you are looking for other ideas to make a tasty salad, I propose this: try the eggplant one, it is very good!

ITALY is a rich and generous land and among its fruits we find different varieties of olives. The olive we will discuss today is the Bella di Cerignola, the largest table olive in the world. The origin of this cultivar is uncertain: someone believes it derives from the "Orchite" of the Romans, someone else thinks it was introduced in the fifteenth century by the Spaniards, since in the past it was known as "Oliva di Spagna". Much more likely, however, since there is no trace of Belle di Cerignola in Spain, the name was linked to the method of conservation, called "Spanish" precisely, and the cultivar originated in the territory of Cerignola, in the Foggia area, from which it takes its name. 

Harvested at the end of October strictly by hand so as not to ruin any fruit, these olives are tanned with soda to reduce bitterness and then washed with running water, and then put in brine. Cerignola is commonly eaten naturally as an appetizer, perhaps accompanied by cold cuts, taralli and products in oil, but it is not difficult to find it as an ingredient in bread and focaccia or in first courses and preparations based on white meat or blue fish.

Ingredients

COOKED CHICKPEAS - 500 Gr 

TOMATOES 500 Gr

BLACK OLIVES 100 Gr

CERIGNOLA OLIVES 100 Gr

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (EVO) 4 table spoons

BASIL to taste

PARSLEY to taste

SALT to taste

Preparation

To make the chickpea salad, tomatoes and olives, the main ingredient to use are chickpeas; you can simply use ready-made canned chickpeas; while if you have time available, even better, prepare them yourself, using the dry ones, boiling them in water with a little salt and smells (garlic and smeary). Transfer them to a drained salad bowl, and remove any remains of odors if you have prepared them. Cut the tomatoes and add them to the salad bowl together with the chickpeas. Prepare the dressing: using the classic immersion blender, blend a part of the black olives with oil and season with a pinch of salt. Pour the dressing into the salad bowl together with the chickpeas and tomatoes, stir, add a couple of tablespoons of black olives. Season the salad with chopped basil and fresh parsley. 

Tip

You can store chickpea salad for two days in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Can I also use white olives instead of black olives?

Yes, white olives are also fine.