PECORINO CHICKPEAS, WILD GARLIC

I’m throwing it back to 2024 a bit here. I feel like that was the year where every recipe online was just some kind of bean in some kind of sauce, all scooped up with crusty buttered toast. And I’m including myself in that! You’ll find many a beany recipe here on my website. But it has been a while!

Let’s bring beans into 2026.

Queen chickpeas, in a very cheesy pecorino sauce, threaded with leaves of wild garlic. It’s a really good 15/20 minute dinner to celebrate wild garlic season. Eat it with crusty bread if you like, and I do like.

I have to admit that I didn’t forage the wild garlic you see in these pictures. I cannot find anywhere near me to pick it since moving to London! Please do let me know if you’ve got anywhere good.

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PECORINO CHICKPEAS, WILD GARLIC

Queen chickpeas in a very cheesy pecorino sauce, threaded with leaves of wild garlic. It's a really good 15/20 minute dinner to celebrate wild garlic season. Eat it with crusty bread if you like, and I do like.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 banana shallots finely chopped
• 700 g jar queen chickpeas
• 150 ml vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 ml whole milk
• 100 g pecorino romano finely grated (plus extra for serving)
• 40 g wild garlic washed thoroughly
• lemon juice to taste
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• to serve: buttered toast

Instructions

1. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the shallot and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the chickpeas, along with their liquid, vegetable stock and bay leaf. If you have a rind leftover from a wedge of parmesan, you can add that in here, too (pecorino doesn’t have a rind as such, which is why I’m using a parmesan rind here – its optional though, so don’t worry if you don’t have one). Give everything a good stir, then bring the pan to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the chickpeas are uber tender and the stock has slightly reduced.
2. Stir the milk through the chickpeas, then slowly add the pecorino, a handful at a time, letting it melt into the sauce before adding more. The sauce should be creamy and silky – like a thinner cacio e pepe. If you find its too thick, you can add a dash more milk.
3. Next, add the wild garlic to the pan, stirring it through for a minute or so, until gently wilted. Remove the pan from the heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and grind generously with black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
4. Ladle the chickpeas between bowls and finish with a drizzling of olive oil. If you have an white flowers from the wild garlic, those are nice to finish the dish here, too. Serve with some lovely crusty bread and dig in.

Recipe Notes

This recipe is loosely inspired by Hannah Wilding – the bean queen!

If you enjoyed this beany recipe, scooped up with bread, you’ll love my Harissa Butter Beans. Or, if you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, check out my Instagram.