Sunday, July 18, 2010

Kale and Chickpeas


Here is one my favorite non-recipes. It's quick, simple and vegetarian. You can dress it up in many ways but I usually keep it simple.

Wash a bunch of kale and chop it. I usually chop the kale fairly small (cooks faster) and include a bit of the stem for crunch. Take a can of chickpeas drain, rinse and set aside. There is no comparison for home cooked chickpeas versus canned but the cans are sooooo convenient. I always keep a fewcans in my pantry. Melt some butter or ghee or olive oil and toss in the chickpeas. I saute the chickpeas until they start to crisp up a bit and turn golden. Then add the kale, mix in and continue to saute until kale is cooked. Try not to cook the kale until soft so that there is some contrast of textures. Season with salt, ground coriander and finish with a small pat of butter (or not.) I often eat this in a corn tortilla or a besan (chickpea flour)pancake. You can make it spicy with cayenne if you want.

Note: I usually by dinosaur/Tuscan/black kale or Russian kale or any other flat leafed kale.

Seasoning note: When butter is melted, you could add a pinch hing (asefeotida) and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.

:O)