Chickpea Pancakes with Zesty Beet Salad

Ahh the day before grocery day...when the refrigerator holds nothing but a couple bedraggled beets and a handful of wilting dandelion greens, and even my trusty bottle of olive oil is down to its last drop.  Luckily yesterday we were in a little local market in Louisville and, having seen a too-good-to-be-true recipe for chickpea pancakes in a recent issue of Saveur, I was inspired to buy some fresh ground chickpea flour.  Somehow these wacky odds and ends came together into a spectacular supper.

 

For the chickpea pancakes:  Place about 1 cup chickpea flour in a medium bowl, and stir in a hefty pinch of salt, a couples grinds of pepper and a pinch of cumin.
Slowly add water (about 2/3-1 cup) and stir until the mixture is about the thickness of heavy cream.  Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.

For the Beet Salad: Dice 3-4 medium sized roasted beets (I roasted mine earlier in the day while baking some crackers, which made this dinner even easier to whip together).  Place diced beets in a medium bowl with 2 cloves minced garlic, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a splash of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.  Finely chop a handful of rinsed and dried dandelion leaves (or other greens), add to the bowl and toss.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

To assemble:  Heat a large skillet to medium high with some oil (or duck fat from the freezer if, like me, you accidentally used the last of your olive oil in the beet salad).  When hot, drop a couple tablespoons of batter onto the pan and spread slightly with the back of a spoon.  When bubbles appear in the center of the pancake, flip and cook until lightly golden.  I always discard the first try as per the instructions of my French host-mother, a crepe-making goddess.  Keep the pancakes warm in another skillet or in a slow oven.  When they are all done, top with beet salad and serve.