Red Chickpeas

The red-skinned chickpea, rich in anthocyanins: a rustic variety of the Mediterranean legume 

Red Chickpeas from the Co.r.ag.gio Agricultural Cooperative

I Red Chickpeas of the Agricultural Cooperative Co.r.ag.gio of Borghetto San Carlo (Rome, in Veio Park) I am aexcellence of agricultural biodiversity recovered and proposed in a contemporary key by the young farmers of the Roman Cooperative. It's about a specific variety of the common chickpea (Lentil), characterized by a thick red-brown skin rich in antioxidant anthocyanins —the same pigments that give intense color to red fruits of the undergrowth, purple cabbages, and dark aubergines. Traditionally less known than the classic white chickpeas of large-scale distribution, dark-skinned chickpeas represent a botanical and gastronomic kinship with traditional varieties of Southern Italy today protected by biodiversity protections and projects: the Cicerale Chickpeas Slow Food Presidium in Cilento (Salerno), the chickpeas from the Calabrian Aspromonte, black chickpeas from the Murgia Apulian, some varieties of Sardinian chickpeaThe composition is of a absolute purity: a single ingredient, the chickpea in its natural integrity. It is about dried chickpeas which require the classic soak for 12 hours before cooking — a traditional and conscious preparation, perfectly in line with the philosophy of slow cooking and sustainable agriculture. It is important to report transparently: these Red Chickpeas they do not come from certified organic farming, unlike the other products of the Coraggio Cooperative. A editorial choice of commercial honesty consistent with the principle oftransparent label which characterizes the Cooperative's production model: always communicating the true nature of the product to the consumer precisely, without symbolic surcharges or undue generalizations.
 
 
 

Chickpeas, a pillar of the Mediterranean Diet and of Italian Slow Food Presidia

Il sissy It is one of founding pillars of the Mediterranean Diet — the recognized dietary model UNESCO Intangible Heritage in 2010 as an extraordinary nutritional, cultural, and sustainable balance. The American scholar Ancel Keys, father of Seven Countries Study of the 1950s and 1960s (the study that first identified the Mediterranean Diet as a model of longevity and cardiovascular health), he spent decades of his life in Poplars in Cilento (Salerno) studying the traditional diet of centenarians on the Salerno coast: a diet based on Whole grains, vegetable (and chickpeas first of all), extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, fish e little meat. Not by chance, in the Cilento one of the most important is born Slow Food Presidia dedicated to the chickpea: the “Cicere di Cicerale”, a traditional variety of these lands – whose name itself, “Cicerale”, derives from the Latin Cicer (chickpea). The movement Slow Food, founded in Italy in 1986 by the Piedmontese Carlo Petrini as a critical reaction to fast food, it had the merit of bring traditional Italian legumes back to the center of gastronomic and cultural attention: chickpeas from Cicerale, black chickpeas from Murgia (Apulia), grass peas from Serra de' Conti, beans from Sorana and a thousand others autochthonous varieties at risk of extinction due to agro-industrial standardization. In 2016 la FAO stated the“International Year of Pulses”, officially recognizing the global nutritional and ecological value of these foods from the point of view of Food safety and public health and climate sustainability and agricultural biodiversityChickpeas are today considered one of the “Future Food” par excellence — foods on which to build sustainable diets of the 21st century, capable of tackling the climate crisis thanks to their characteristic of nitrogen fixers (they naturally enrich the soil with nitrogen without chemical fertilizers) and their reduced water requirementThe Coraggio Cooperative fits into this cultural trajectory bringing a chickpea of ​​a variety rich in anthocyanins to the table of those who seek biodiversity, seeds e sustainability in one product.
 
 
 

Choosing Red Chickpeas means choosing anthocyanins, the Mediterranean diet, and agricultural biodiversity.

The Red Chickpeas of the Coraggio Cooperative offer a exceptional nutritional profile, perfectly in line with the UNESCO Mediterranean Diet philosophyThey are very rich in vegetable proteins (estimated around 22-25 g per 100 g of dry product) with high biological value, with an amino acid profile rich in Lysine — perfect for classic pairings legumes + cereals (pasta and chickpeas, rice and chickpeas, bread and soup) which constitutes a complete protein-rich single dish capable of replacing animal proteins. They provide dietary fibers in greater quantities than white chickpeas (15-18 g per 100 g), thanks to the thicker skin of the red variety: a nutritional powerhouse for the intestinal regularity, the blood glucose modulation and lasting feeling of satiety. The most important distinguishing feature but they are the Anthocyanins — the pigments that give the red-brown color to the peel — recognized as powerful antioxidants with beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, on the cellular protection from free radicals and on control of chronic inflammationThey bring folate (vitamin B9), vegetable iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Phosphorus, Potassium, B vitamins, antioxidant polyphenols, saponin e phytosterols with beneficial effects on cholesterol and cardiovascular health. Themoderate-low glycemic index makes them particularly suitable for those who manage diabetes o metabolic syndrome. Vegan, gluten free, lactose-free, without any food allergens: an authentic food inclusive. From the point of view Environmental Sustainability, legumes are among the foods with the smaller ecological footprint of agriculture: like all legumes, nitrogen fixers (they enrich the soil with nitrogen biologically fixed by the symbiotic bacteria of the root nodules, without the need for chemical fertilizers), they require a minimal fraction of water needed to produce the same amount of animal protein (about 5% of the water requirement of beef!), and contribute significantly to the biodiversity of crops in the field thanks to rotation with other crops.
 
 
 

How to Best Use: Red Chickpeas

• PASTA AND CHICKPEAS FROM SOUTHERN ITALY AND REGIONAL FARMING TRADITIONS
  The most used noble and identity-based of Red Chickpeas in the Italian context is the great tradition of pasta and chickpeas in its infinite regional variations. For the Neapolitan pasta and chickpeas: after soaking for 12 hours + cooking, fry a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oilred garlic + sprig of rosemary + 1 whole chilli pepper; add the cooked chickpeas + a ladle of their broth + salt and cook short pasta (preferably Senatore Cappelli wholemeal striped tubettoni) directly in the chickpea broth as “pasta risottata” — the most loved Neapolitan version. For the Calabrese pasta and chickpeas: add fresh tomato + Red onion of Tropea IGP stewed + a pinch of hot chili pepper; served with a drizzle of raw EVO oil. For the Sicilian cuccìa: chickpeas + wheat + honey + cinnamon (savory variant) for a ritual Christmas dish. Splendid in chickpeas and tria salentine: homemade fried and boiled pasta + chickpea broth + onion + bay leaves = Salento's signature dish. For the Cilento peasant cuisine: chickpea and wild fennel soup + wholemeal bread croutons + Natural Salina Oregano.
• MEDITERRANEAN SOUPS, LEGUME SALADS AND BALANCED SINGLE DISHES
  Red Chickpeas are perfect protagonists with Mediterranean soups and balanced contemporary one-dish meals. For a Cilento red chickpea soup: soaked and cooked chickpeas + Red onion of Tropea IGP + celery + carrot + Organic Datterino Tomato + rosemary + southern extra virgin olive oil + salt and pepper; cook everything together for 1,5-2 hours in a covered pan, blending only part of it to obtain a velvety consistency but with the whole chickpeas floating. Splendid in cold summer salads: cooked chickpeas cooled + Mixed organic yellow cherry tomatoes + Organic white onion + black olives + oregano + extra virgin olive oil + a few drops of lemon juice — a contemporary version of the classic Cilento appetizer. Exceptional in Mediterranean Buddha bowls: red chickpeas + pearled spelt + seasonal vegetables + olives + aromatic herbs. For the mixed legume soup: red chickpeas + lentils + beans + short pasta = a one-dish meal for the winter holidays. Splendid in Mediterranean couscous with vegetables and North African spices. For balanced packed lunches: jar of old-fashioned chickpeas (chickpeas + herbs + EVO + salt, stored in glass jar for 3-4 days in the fridge).
• FARINATA, PANELLE AND PREPARATIONS BASED ON CHICKPEA FLOUR
  Red Chickpeas, in addition to being eaten whole, can be ground to obtain a rustic flour with an intense flavour and characteristic colour, ideal for large traditional Italian preparations based on chickpea flour. For the classic Ligurian farinata (Genoese fainà): 250 g of chickpea flour + 750 g of water + 6 tablespoons of EVO + salt + rosemary, rest 8-12 hours in the refrigerator, cook in a copper pan at 250°C for 15 minutes — the very thin and crunchy “chickpea cake” of the Ligurian-Tuscan Mediterranean tradition. For the Palermo panelle: chickpea flour + water + salt + parsley, cooked like polenta, cooled in molds and fried in rectangular pieces to be served in sandwiches with “vastedda” bread — Sicilian street food par excellence. For the Sicilian cocks: potato croquettes + chickpea flour. For the Tuscan chickpea flour and Pisan chickpea cake: Tuscan variant of Ligurian farinata. For the Ligurian bread rollsChickpea flour is also used to make a cooled and fried farinata. gluten-free savory pancakes, pakora Indians (battered and fried vegetables), chickpea flour omelettes vegan (vegetable protein substitute for eggs), gluten-free pizza dough. Also excellent for thickening soups and creams, for enriching fresh pasta, for preparing rustic focaccias aromatic with garden herbs.

The Producer: Agricultural Cooperative Co.r.ag.gio

Agricultural Cooperative Co.r.ag.gio is the cooperative of young Roman farmers which manages from May 2015 i 22 hectares of Borghetto San Carlo on Via Cassia 1420 in Rome, in Veio ParkThe name is an acronym for “Roman Youth Agriculture Cooperative” and tells a story of civic dispute won thanks to the 10.000 signature petition on Change.org, which was internationally awarded by Vandana Shiva Real Food Heroes 2013The Cooperative's agricultural activities include seasonal vegetables, cereals, legumes, a biodiversity orchard (50+ varieties), a multi-varietal olive grove, and an apiary for organic honey production. Most of the Cooperative's products are certified organic; the Red Chickpeas, for editorial transparency reasons, are communicated as not from certified organic farming — a sign of editorial care and of thecommercial honesty typical of the Roman Cooperative. The proposal of the Red Ceci is part of the Cooperative's vocation to bring to Rome agricultural biodiversity, traditional varieties and sustainable food of the Mediterranean.

Ingredients

Red chickpeas (variety with skin rich in anthocyanins).

Contains no food allergensJust one ingredient: the whole legume in its natural state. No preservatives. No additives. No colorants. No post-harvest treatments.
 
 
 

Storage and Preparation

Store in cool and dry place, away from heat sources, direct light and humidity, until the expiration date shown on the package. Once the package has been opened, it is advisable to Transfer the dried chickpeas to an airtight container (glass, ceramic, or tin) to best protect them from pests and moisture. Dried chickpeas, when stored properly, retain their nutritional properties for several months. For the preparation, it is essentialprolonged soaking of 12 hours in plenty of fresh water (1:3 legume/water ratio) — preferably in the refrigerator in summer or at room temperature in winter. A little secret of Southern peasant tradition: add a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in the soaking water, which softens the thick skin of the red chickpeas and improves their cooking. Prolonged soaking is the secret of digestibility: it significantly reduces phytate and other antinutritional substances naturally present in raw seeds, increasing the absorption of minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium) and reducing the classic inconvenience of intestinal bloating. Change the soaking water before cooking. Cooking times: 1,5-2 hours in a traditional pot (with salt added only at the end of cooking to prevent the skins from hardening), 35 40-minute in a pressure cooker. Trick of the Cilento cuisine: add a sprig of rosemary or a small piece of kombu seaweed to the cooking water — both significantly increase the digestibility of the legume.
 
 
 

Nutritional Values ​​(indicative average values ​​per 100g of dry product)

• Energy: approximately 1.500 kJ / 360 kcal
• Fat: approximately 5,5 g (of which saturated fatty acids: approximately 0,6 g)
• Carbohydrates: approximately 62 g (of which sugars: approximately 10 g)
• Fiber: approximately 17 g
• Protein: approximately 23 g
• Salt: 0 g

Nutritional values ​​are indicative and estimated based on the average values ​​for dried red chickpeas. Since this is a product made from open-field agricultural raw materials, slight variations in nutritional values ​​are possible due to the seasonality of the harvest and the characteristics of the crop. The values ​​refer to the dry product: once soaked and cooked, chickpeas increase significantly in volume, and the calorie, protein, and fiber content per 100 g of cooked product is lower.
 
 
 

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