I love garbanzo beans, but never realized how easy they are to cook. Adam Gallagher from Inspired Taste has a great recipe and makes them with aromatics that make them even better. I may never buy canned again.

1 cup dry garbanzo beans (makes about three cooked cups)
water
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Check the dry garbanzo beans for anything non-garbanzo. Rinse them well, and put in a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan 3/4 full of water, cover and let soak overnight. Next day, dump the excess water and add the bay leaf, garlic clove and kosher salt. Add fresh water a couple of inches over the beans.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 1½ – 2 hours. Remove from cooking liquid and test for softness. Adam says for firmer beans, leave the lid off. For softer beans, leave the lid on, but slightly ajar.

Delicious warm, tucked into a little naan, or cool in a salad.