This gluten-free vegan cold cut is one of those recipes that I promised some of my readers a long time ago and today I’m finally getting around to writing it: kudos to me! I experimented with this kind of vegan salami last year and then made it again because I liked it a lot. I chose to flavor it with chickpeas and olives but I’ll also try it with rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes when I remember to buy them…
The way I made it, this vegan cold cut weighs about 300g (around 10.5 oz) and you can cut 10 slices of 30g (about 1 oz) each that cost only 1 Weight Watchers point, great right?
It really takes little to make it and further on you’ll find the step-by-step process. One of those recipes that’s harder to explain than to make!
Here are some other chickpea recipes that might interest you:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 10 slices
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 cup green olives (pitted)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- to taste salt
- to taste water
- to taste broth
- Total points = 10 WW points
- Points per 30g slice = 1 WW point (you can make several thinner slices)
Tools
- Pot
- Blender
- Hand Blender
- Kitchen Twine
- Dishtowel untreated
Steps
First, weigh all the ingredients carefully; the chickpeas and olives should be well rinsed and drained. Chop the olives into pieces.
Also, bring some water to boil in a large pot and add a bit of granulated broth.
Place all the ingredients in the blender jar and blend well. You can also use a hand blender and, if you prefer to find pieces in the cold cut, you can add the chopped olives by hand only after blending everything, as you like. I blended everything together.
If it’s too dry and hard to blend, add a couple of teaspoons of water. Furthermore, taste and check if the salt is okay: don’t make it too salty as it will also cook in the broth!
Transfer everything onto a clean dishtowel that has not been treated with scented softeners, mind you.
With the mixture, create an oblong shape, and if necessary, slightly wet your hands to perform this operation.
Roll the dishtowel tightly and tie it with kitchen twine in several places to seal all the cold cut.
Place the formed salami in the pot with the broth, cover, and cook at a low flame for about 20 minutes.
At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and allow it to cool in the pot. Once cooled, lift the salami from the broth and let it drain a bit before removing it from the dishtowel.
I place it on some kitchen paper and then in the fridge for about 8 hours, during which time it will firm up better.
Here is our chickpea and olive vegan cold cut ready to be sliced!
I found it very tasty and I use it to fill bread and sandwiches adding arugula and cherry tomatoes which go perfectly with it. I didn’t take pictures but I also enjoyed it with grilled eggplant and it’s exquisite!
The entire cold cut once cooled weighs about 300g (about 10.5 oz) and costs only 10 WW points. Therefore, you can cut 30 slices of 10g each that cost only 1 WW point each, from which you can make several thinner slices. Considering it’s mostly made of chickpeas, I’d say this vegan salami can be considered vegetable protein, then you can decide how best to use it. Maybe even cut into cubes and added to salads in summer, the choice is yours!
I’m looking forward to hearing if you’ve made it and liked it.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
This cold cut keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days in a container. I have never frozen it as I consume it quickly and therefore do not know if it can be. If you try, let me know the result!
FAQ
If I want to use dried chickpeas, what should I do?
If you want to cook them yourself, soak at least 60g of dried chickpeas overnight, rinse them, and then boil them in unsalted water. At the first boil, skim the surface, cover with water, and let boil gently. If after a couple of hours the chickpeas are still hard, add a pinch of baking soda to soften them quickly and continue for another half hour. Once cooled, you can also remove the skins to make them more digestible. Take the amount needed and freeze the rest.
What can I use instead of cornstarch?
You can use potato starch as a substitute.
What can I use instead of chickpeas?
I believe any other type of legume would do, although I haven’t personally tried it yet.
