Spring salad with fresh chickpeas, chive flowers and feta

Serves 6

In Asian markets, garlic chives are often referred to as Chinese chives. Mature ones develop podlike buds at the top that have a nice crunch and a bold onion-garlic flavor. Once you remove the flowers from the chives, you can still use parts of the blades as you would regular chives, but not too much of them if the stems are stringy. However, they can be tied together in bundles and dropped into stocks or broths, or the cooking water of rice, noodles and potatoes. (Discard the chive bundles once cooked.) The stems can be frozen.

For a couple of months in the spring, you can find fresh chickpeas in the markets. They have to be removed from their pods, but they are worth the effort. The chickpeas are delicate and taste like a cross between English peas and edamame. It is fine to cook them with their remaining thin skins, unless you really want to go to all the bother of removing them, which will reduce the total yield.

Add the cheese at the end so that its crumbled chunks stay intact.

Recipe from David Hagedorn, special to the Washington Post.

Make ahead: The salad needs to be refrigerated for several hours or up to overnight for best flavor. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste, plus more for the cooking water

20 ounces fresh chickpeas, pods removed (about 2 1/2 cups, shelled; see note above)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)

8 medium (5 ounces) radishes, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup flowering Chinese (garlic) chive buds, with 1 inch of chive still attached, plus 2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish (see note above)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; add a generous pinch of salt. Add the chickpeas and carrots; cook for about 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Drain and rinse until cool.

Transfer the vegetables to a medium bowl. Add the radishes, chive buds, oil, vinegar, thyme leaves, a teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, stirring to combine. Gently stir in the crumbled feta cheese, trying to preserve its larger pieces. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

Remove the salad from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Taste; adjust the seasoning as needed. Garnish with chopped Chinese chives.

Per serving: 410 calories, 19 g protein, 56 g carb., 14 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 680 mg sodium, 17 g dietary fiber, 11 g sugar

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