Alison Roman is one of the best recipe developers around these days—her stuff is within the margins of safety (very few “take a walk on the wild side” recipes) and many of the notions are either fresh or a variation that makes a recipe appealing. So when I came across her recipe for Brothy Chickpeas, the idea clicked. Why not cook chickpeas in water to cover in a low oven for 10 or more hours? Throw an egg on it, add some greens, use them in a stew or soup or even hummus; do whatever you like. The bonus is that you also end up with a garlicky, full-bodied broth.

Roman says that she is “not a soaker” but here at Milk Street we find that step essential: the skins soften, allowing water to penetrate, resulting in more even cooking. Just like Roman, however, we put the pot into a low oven, where the cooking is completely hands-free.

With the soaking, our cooking time was reduced to a mere four hours in a 250-degree oven, about a third of Roman’s oven time. Both of us call for a head of garlic but we squeeze out the creamy cloves after cooking and whisk that back into the pot. We dispensed with shallots and red pepper flakes to keep things simple and neutral enough for a variety of applications. A quarter cup of good EVOO at the end brightens things up and adds a silky sheen.

If you’re not using the chickpeas right away, transfer the chickpeas with their broth to a container, cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to a week. Storing the legumes in the liquid keeps them plump. Please skim any scum on top of the cooking liquid as you go to keep the broth clear.

Chris Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."