The Flexible Ingredient That's Always On Gordon Ramsay's Shopping List

It's always fascinating to learn the kinds of foods celebrity chefs like to eat, and what kinds of ingredients they keep stocked in their own homes. Many keep things surprisingly simple, opting for inexpensive ingredients they can easily prepare into quick, tasty meals. Apparently, Gordon Ramsay is no different. He shared with Men's Journal that his grocery shopping list is never without plenty of pre-cooked canned chickpeas. Ramsay explained, "Recently, we have done amazing wonders with chickpea. It's beautiful in a tomato gravy, vegetarian chickpea curry. We do that on Monday or Tuesday for the week ... We would also turn those chickpeas into a beautiful hummus for a dip at the weekend for snacks."

As Ramsay pointed out, chickpeas have a place in both side dishes and main courses, but they can also be super useful in desserts, especially if you're making vegan recipes. The juice that comes in cans of prepared chickpeas is called aquafaba and can be whipped up and sweetened just like egg whites. You can make things like whipped cream (as a substitution for coconut milk if you hate it), meringues, and macarons. In fact, in his recipe for vegan summer BLTs with basil aioli, Ramsay mentions you can make the aioli with aquafaba. Canned chickpeas are affordable and very versatile, and, even better, they are full of nutrients.

If you like chickpeas, you know that when they are cooked, these legumes have a creamy texture and a deliciously nutty flavor. They are sometimes labeled as garbanzo beans, and have a strong presence in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cuisines. Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fiber, both of which make people feel fuller for longer, which is why they are often used in vegetarian or vegan dishes as the main protein source. By themselves, chickpeas are not high in fat, and contain ample amounts of manganese, folate, iron, copper, and zinc.

In his cooking, Gordon Ramsay has used the mighty legume to stuff roasted chicken, make a sweet snack mix with other nuts and dried fruits, create a tasty vegan and Asian inspired filling for dumplings, and craft crispy koftas. He also uses dried chickpeas to make the Middle Eastern favorite, falafels. For a side salad, he recommends his chickpea salad that comes together with canned chickpeas, onion, garlic, chili, lemon zest and juice, feta cheese, and olive oil. He serves it with toasted pita chips, but it's scrumptious enough to eat straight from the bowl with a spoon.