Insalata di Ceci

Chickpeas have fed Italians since the Etruscans. They grow in the dry, rocky soil where little else thrives. They are the food of people who work with their hands, who need sustenance that lasts through a long afternoon in the fields or the workshop.

The secret to this salad is temperature. Dress the chickpeas while they are still warm from the pot. They absorb the olive oil and lemon juice like sponges, pulling flavor into their very center. Cold chickpeas sit there stubbornly, the dressing sliding off their skins. This is not opinion. It is chemistry.

I do not add garlic. I do not add cumin, which belongs to other cuisines. I use red onion for its sharpness and color, parsley for freshness, good olive oil because it is the foundation of everything, and lemon because it wakes everything up. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.