Golden Saffron Spinach Chickpea Skillet Cakes with Caper Lemon Yogurt

Golden Saffron Spinach Chickpea Skillet Cakes with Caper Lemon Yogurt 🌿🍋✨ These crisp little skillet cakes are warm with saffron, packed with spinach and chickpeas, and finished with a cold caper lemon yogurt that makes everything taste brighter. They are vegetarian, practical, and easy to serve with salad, flatbread, roasted vegetables or a simple cucumber plate. Yield: 10-12 small cakes Time: about 35 minutes Ingredients For the skillet cakes: - 1 x 400 g tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry - 90 g baby spinach, chopped - 1 small garlic clove, finely grated - 2 scallions, thinly sliced - 1 large egg - 4 tablespoons chickpea flour, plus 1 extra tablespoon if the mixture feels loose - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 1 teaspoon lemon zest - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin - 1/4 teaspoon turmeric - 1 generous pinch saffron threads - 1 tablespoon hot water - 1/2 teaspoon fine salt - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper - 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying For the caper lemon yogurt: - 180 g thick Greek yogurt or dairy-free thick yogurt - 1 tablespoon chopped capers - 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus extra to taste - 1 teaspoon lemon zest - 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or dill - 1 small pinch of salt - 1 teaspoon olive oil To serve: - Extra herbs - Lemon wedges - Cucumber or crisp salad leaves - Toasted seeds or chopped pistachios, optional Method 1. Put the saffron in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon hot water. Leave it for 5 minutes so the colour and flavour bloom. 2. Add the drained chickpeas to a mixing bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Keep some chickpeas partly whole so the cakes have texture instead of turning into a paste. 3. Fold in the chopped spinach, garlic, scallions, egg, chickpea flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, turmeric, bloomed saffron water, salt and pepper. The mixture should feel sticky and spoonable. If it looks wet, add 1 extra tablespoon chickpea flour. 4. Rest the mixture for 10 minutes. This gives the flour time to hydrate and helps the cakes hold together in the pan. 5. Shape 10-12 small cakes, pressing them flat so they cook through quickly. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a wide non-stick skillet over medium heat. 6. Fry the cakes for 3-4 minutes per side. They should be deep golden outside, hot through the centre, and firm enough to lift cleanly with a spatula. Work in batches so the pan is not crowded. 7. Stir the yogurt with capers, lemon juice, lemon zest, herbs, salt and olive oil. Taste and add more lemon if you want it sharper. 8. Serve the warm skillet cakes with cold caper lemon yogurt, extra herbs, lemon wedges and a crisp cucumber salad. Add toasted seeds or pistachios if you want more crunch. Serving and storage tips These are best straight from the skillet while the edges are crisp. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat them in a dry skillet or air fryer rather than the microwave, then add the yogurt after reheating. The yogurt can be made a day ahead and kept chilled. 🥣 Save this recipe for a golden vegetarian lunch or an easy dinner plate. Tasteloom.club