Hello, garbanzo, is that you?

The pods are pale green and downy, and the bright beans within are tender and crisp. You can eat them straight out of the shell, or toss them into any number of dishes.

No, they’re not edamame. Nor are they favas.

They’re fresh garbanzos -- and surprise always gives way to delicious delight with these beans.

Put out a bowl of them, pan-roasted or steamed, and they’ll disappear in a flash as everyone grabs one after another. Their flavor is distinctive and vibrant, reminiscent of a just-picked pea. Where have they been all our lives?

Until recently, fresh garbanzos have shown up in very limited supply at farmers markets. Now you can find them in several supermarkets in greater abundance.

And it’s about time. They’re terrific with just a touch of salt. They’re great in soups, vegetable sautes and salads.

In short, they’re up for just about anything. Chefs around town know this, and they’re having fun with them.

Robert Gadsby of Noe in downtown L.A. adds fresh garbanzos to soup, risotto and even a tuna sashimi plate. At Water Grill, David LeFevre’s summer plans include making a fresh garbanzo bean cake garnished with garbanzo sprouts, and combining fresh garbanzos, pomegranate seeds and grilled octopus or stuffed calamari. And Suzanne Goin of AOC has grilled salmon topped with a salad of fresh garbanzos, purslane, green onions and lemon.

Chris Kidder, executive chef of Literati II in Brentwood, adds the beans to fritto misto (fried mixed vegetables) and makes a salad of fresh garbanzos, tomato, fennel and black olive bread.

“We wanted to have a summery, light dish incorporating things that were just coming into season, like the garbanzos and tomatoes, with other ingredients we had on hand, like the olive bread,� says Kidder. It’s a serendipitous dish.

Fresh garbanzos are also hassle-free, especially if you buy them already shelled. Unlike dried beans, they don’t require hours of soaking and boiling.

You can find fresh shelled garbanzos, which are also called chickpeas, at Whole Foods stores while they’re in season in California, through October. After that, the harvest moves to central Mexico until spring, when the California season begins again, says Morgan Murray, general manager of grower Califresh, based in Sanger.

At farmers markets and Latino markets such as Cardenas and Numero Uno, you’ll often find beans still in the shell. They’re also available that way at Food 4 Less stores.

If you need to cook a big batch of shucked beans but can get them only in the pods, be sure to give yourself enough time to shell the lot. It’s easy work but just takes a little time.

“There is something fun about working with the fresh form of an ingredient that we use so often dried,� Goin says, “and they seem very old-school Southern California to me.... I remember driving by fields and fields of them in the summer when I was a kid.�

Cooking with fresh garbanzos is just starting to become widespread here, but they have a long history in Mexico and India. Nalin Patel, owner of Maurya Indian restaurant in Beverly Hills, says they’re popular in his native Gujarat, where one might eat them roasted in the shell over a wood fire or combined with onion, chile, cilantro, lime juice and salt as an appetizer with drinks.

When Maurya’s executive chef, Jayanta Paul, cooks at home, he likes to make fresh garbanzos with mushrooms in a Punjabi-style tomato sauce. It’s hearty enough to serve as a main dish, says Paul, who is from Calcutta. Indian bread or rice is a good accompaniment.

For a summer dish, I added fresh garbanzos to Mexican calabacitas, a combination of squash, corn, tomatoes and green chiles. The garbanzos make this colorful dish even more appealing.

Fresh garbanzos are so down-to-earth practical and delicious, it’s a wonder we’ve gone without them for so long.

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Garbanzos rancheros

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6

2 cups diced zucchini

(about 2 zucchini)

1 Anaheim chile

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cups corn kernels (from 2 to 3 ears)

1 cup fresh peeled garbanzo beans

2 1/4 cups seeded, diced tomatoes

1 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

2 sprigs fresh oregano

2 green onions, including most of the tops, trimmed and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1. Cut each zucchini lengthwise in quarters, then crosswise into half-inch pieces.

2. Remove the stem and tip from the Anaheim chile. Cut lengthwise in quarters. Remove any seeds, then cut crosswise in strips. Set the vegetables aside.

3. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet. Add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds and cook until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Anaheim chile, corn, garbanzos and tomatoes. Stir in the salt and add the oregano sprigs. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini cubes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with the green onions and cilantro.

Each serving: 133 calories; 5 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 505 mg. sodium.

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Pan-roasted fresh garbanzo beans

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: Adapted from a recipe from Califresh of California

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups fresh garbanzo beans in the pod

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste

1. Add the olive oil to a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add the beans in one layer to the skillet; cover. On medium-high heat, toast the covered pods for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms of the pods turn black and the tops turn bright green.

2. Remove the pods from the pan and season with salt. Serve warm, allow ing diners to peel the pods as with peanuts or edamame.

Each serving: 156 calories; 5 grams protein; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 148 mg. sodium.

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Steamed fresh garbanzo beans

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Note: Adapted from a recipe from Califresh of California

2 cups fresh garbanzo beans in the pod

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste

1. Pour an inch or more of water into a wok or skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Place the garbanzo pods in a bamboo or collapsible steamer. Set it over the boiling water and cover; steam for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the beans are tender.

2. Season with salt and serve warm, allowing diners to remove the garbanzos from the pods and eat as finger food, similar to edamame.

Each serving: 96 calories; 5 grams protein; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 2 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 78 mg. sodium.

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Tomato, fennel, fresh garbanzo and olive bread salad

Total time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time

Servings: 4 as a side dish

Note: From chef Chris Kidder of Literati II in West L.A. Kidder likes to serve the salad with grilled meats or fish. Dried fennel pollen is available at Le Sanctuaire in Santa Monica. Opal basil is available at Whole Foods markets and farmers markets.

1/2 pound vine-ripened tomatoes

1 fennel bulb, trimmed

1/2 cup diced red onion

3 sprigs basil, divided, preferably opal

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for cooking water

Cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried fennel pollen, optional

2 medium cloves garlic, divided

2 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar, divided

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 pound fresh garbanzo beans (shells on), or 1/2 cup peeled

6 half-inch-thick slices black olive bread, divided

10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Chop the tomatoes and fennel into medium dice and place in a mixing bowl. Add the onion. Strip the leaves from 2 of the basil sprigs and add to the bowl. Add the salt, a few grinds of pepper and the fennel pollen, if using. Gently stir to combine.

2. Smash 1 of the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle or mince very fine. Add to the mixture. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Gently stir the ingredients together and let stand at room temperature about 1 to 2 hours. (This marinating time will break down the vegetables and marry the flavors.)

3. If using fresh garbanzos in their shell, shuck the beans from the outer pod while the mixture marinates. Garbanzos are similar to peas except there are only one or two beans in each pod. When finished shelling, bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add salt, drop in the beans and cook 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl filled with ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Remove and drain. Add the drained cooked beans to the salad.

4. Brush the olive bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Grill the bread or toast it in the oven until crisp and golden. The bread should be a bit hard, as it will soften when it is added to the salad. Rub each slice with the remaining clove of garlic.

5. The recipe can be done to this point several hours ahead of time and set aside until you are ready to serve. At serving time break 2 of the toasted bread slices into 1- to 1 1/2 - inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the leaves from the remaining sprig of basil, the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the cherry tomatoes and feta and check the seasoning. The salad should be wet and juicy; depending on the acidity of the tomatoes or your taste, you may need to add more olive oil or vinegar.

6. Place the remaining slices of toasted bread on a plate and spoon the mixture over them, making sure the juices run onto the plate.

Each serving: 409 calories; 9 grams protein; 40 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 24 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 28 mg. cholesterol; 505 mg. sodium.

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Garbanzo- mushroom masala

Total time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 side dish servings

Note: From Jayanta Paul, executive chef of Maurya Restaurant in Beverly Hills. Ginger paste can be found at Indian markets.

3/4 cup peeled fresh garbanzo beans (about 1/4 pound)

2 medium tomatoes

2 tablespoons oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely minced ginger

1/2 small serrano chile, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic mixed with 1 teaspoon water to make a paste

2 tablespoons water

1/2 pound small button mushrooms, cut into quarters

Pinch of hot red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1. Place the garbanzo beans in a colander and rinse well under cold running water. Drain.

2. Cut the tomatoes in half, reserving one half. Dice the remaining tomatoes. Cut the tomato half into 4 wedges. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened and light brown. Add the minced ginger and serrano chile and stir for 12 to 15 seconds.

4. Dissolve the ginger and garlic pastes in the 2 tablespoons water, add to the wok and stir for 1 minute.

5. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and turn golden brown, stirring often.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes, garbanzos, chili powder and salt. Cook until the tomatoes have cooked down and the garbanzos are tender, about 10 to 11 minutes, continuing to stir frequently.

7. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato quarters and stir until just heated through. Sprinkle the mixture with garam masala and stir.

8. Spoon the mixture into a serving dish and serve with steamed or Indian rice or any kind of Indian bread.

Each serving: 143 calories; 5 grams protein; 16 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 302 mg. Sodium.