by Joan Saunders –
Kale became the thing a few years ago, but I didn’t jump on that green bandwagon. I think it was because, at the time, I had a few meals where I had to archaeologically extract the main course from a mountain of kale. People could be a bit overzealous when it came to this bounteous brassica.
And I attempted cooking kale, I really did, but never truly succeeded. Recently, however, a friend introduced me to a fabulous chickpea stew recipe as I’d been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my repertoire. It’s not easy when you have a son who counts bacon as either a condiment or, potentially, a vegetable. But I’ve soldiered on.
I’ve always loved soups and stews as they’re often easy to make, are packed with layers of flavour and ingredients can be added or subtracted as tastes dictate. In my cookbooks I write in the date we first try a recipe and any comments like, “All liked it; chop onions smaller” or “cook 10 minutes more.” It really helps when you go back and are looking for meal ideas as you don’t even have to try to remember the changes you wanted to make.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric turned me into a kale convert, and it was a hit with the family. It’s a bit hot, as the title suggests, but you can lessen the amount of red pepper flakes added. I always serve it with yogurt as it brings down the spice of the stew and creates a creamier base. You can then throw some toasted pita bread on the table and feel good about another meatless meal.
Growing up, one of the most comforting meals my mom made was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s always perfect on a rainy day. I recently tried out a new recipe from Smitten Kitchen that’s full of tomato goodness and has a crusty, melty, cheesy crouton top. One essential step in the process is to roast the tomatoes in the oven at a high temperature before incorporating them into the soup. Yes, you could skip this, but it creates more complex flavours. Besides, you roast the garlic at the same time so it’s definitely worth the effort.
Soups and stews are an essential option for our blustery November days. And while I’m still not fully on the kale bandwagon, at least nowadays you’ll find me trotting along behind it, taking a closer look at what potentially might be a recipe I’ll go back to again and again, even if it doesn’t include bacon.
Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric
By Alison Roman, NYT Cooking
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019772-spiced-chickpea-
stew-with-coconut-and-turmeric (look online for videos and
more recipes by Alison)
¼ cup olive oil
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 large onion, chopped
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped
kosher salt, black pepper
1½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 (15oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15oz) cans full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed,
torn into bite-sized pieces
For serving:
1 cup mint leaves
yogurt
toasted pita or flatbread
Step 1: Heat ¼ cup oil in large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion, ginger. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and browns a little at the edges, 3-5 minutes.
Step 2: Add 1½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, chickpeas, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8-10 minutes. Remove a cup of chickpeas for garnish.
Step 3: Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. This will thicken the stew. Add coconut milk and stock and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Bring to a simmer, scraping up bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew thickens, 30-35 minutes. Taste chickpeas to make sure they have simmered long enough to be delicious. Keep simmering until you reach the desired consistency.
Step 5: Add greens and stir. Cook until wilted, 3-7 minutes. Swiss chard will wilt faster than kale or collard greens. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 6: Divide into serving bowls, top with mint, reserved chickpeas, drizzle of olive oil. Serve with yogurt and pita.
photos by Joan Saunders
