Crushed garlicky chickpeas. Skip the asparagus, as it doesn't make it much better and makes a very cheap meal quite expensive.

cooked chickpeas 500g
garlic cloves 4
asparagus 250g
extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp, plus extra for drizzling
ground cumin 1 tsp
lemon 1/2
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
flat-leaf parsley 1/2 bunch
  1. If cooking your own chickpeas, get those ready and keep to one side, along with the cooking liquid.
  2. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus stalks and discard them. Finely slice the stalks - I like to keep the tips whole and sliced in half lengthways.
  3. Place the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat and add the garlic and asparagus. Fry the vegetables for 5 minutes, then add the ground cumin.
  4. Fry for 2 minutes, then add chickpeas and 200 ml of the cooking water. If you are using tinned chickpeas, just add the liquid from the tins.
  5. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, and use the back of a fork to crush about a third of the chickpeas and make the mixture a little creamy.
  6. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
  7. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon half, season generously, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley.
  8. When the chickpeas look creamy and thick, the balila is ready. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then spoon into a serving dish. Finish by drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and scattering over the chopped parsley. This can be served warm or at room temperature.