Spicy Chickpeas With Tomatoes and Kale

 Spicy Chickpeas With Tomatoes And Kale

This recipe has been slightly adapted from Jenny Rosenstrach’s latest book, The Weekday Vegetarians.
A FEW NOTES:
I’ve been making this with these slow cooker chickpeas, which couldn’t be simpler, and which are so tasty. If you don’t have a slow cooker and want to cook the chickpeas from scratch, here’s my guide. Of course, canned chickpeas are fine. I like the Goya brand.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of coconut milk. It also suggests serving it with rice, so I have been making this coconut rice to serve along side. The coconut rice calls for 3/4 cup coconut milk, and so I have been reserving this amount for the rice and then using the rest of the can for the chickpeas. The extra coconut milk makes the dish a little richer, I suppose, but it certainly does not taste too rich or sweet.

Finally, the original recipe calls for stirring 1/4 cup of warm water into a teaspoon of miso and stirring this in at the end. If you have miso on hand, go for it! If you don’t, don’t run out and get it. The dish is plenty flavorful without it, especially if you add a splash more coconut milk, as noted above. Alexandra Cooks

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Ingredients: 

Preparing Chickpeas
2 tablespoons grapeseed, olive, or other neutral oil
1/2 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup
1 clove garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon or less)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons curry powder, I love Madras brand
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups cooked chickpeas or two 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed
one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes or 1 lb. diced fresh tomatoes (about 2 cups)
1 cup water or vegetable stock (I always use water)
2 to 4 cups stemmed and chopped fresh kale
1 teaspoon miso, optional, see notes above
1/4 cup (or more) unsweetened coconut milk
For Serving:
coconut rice, see notes above
naan
cilantro, optional
lime, optional

Directions:
In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, combine the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, pinch salt, and black pepper to taste. Cook until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the curry powder, and stir, coating it in the aromatics and toasting it a bit, another 2 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring it into the curry-coated aromatics, and cook for another minute or until the red color darkens and it smells toasty. 

Add the chickpeas and stir to coat them in the curry mixture. Cook for another two minutes or until the chickpeas are evenly coated in the spices; then taste a chickpea for seasoning. Adjust accordingly if it needs more salt or pepper to taste. 

Add the tomatoes and water (or stock) and simmer for 10 minutes or until everything is warmed through. Add more water as needed if it looks too thick — chickpeas can absorb a ton of liquid. Add the kale and cook until wilted. 

If using the miso, stir it into 1/4 cup warm water and add it to the skillet along with the coconut milk. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. As noted above, I add more like 3/4 cup coconut milk and use another 3/4 cup coconut milk for this coconut rice. 

Serve with rice or naan, a lime wedge, and a sprinkle of cilantro, if you wish.

Curried Chickpeas With Cauliflower and Coconut Milk

Curried Chickpeas With Cauliflower And Codconut Milk

Notes:

There are instructions below for cooking chickpeas from scratch, which will leave you with about 6 cups of chickpeas.
If you want to use canned chickpeas, use 2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed (about 4 cups).
Cauliflower can be cooked ahead of time (step 2) and refrigerated until ready to use.
A drizzle of harissa or chili oil at the end is nice here.
When reheating, add water to reach desired consistency — the chickpeas will soak up the liquid as they sit.

Ingredients:

Instructions for soaking and cooking the chickpeas:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound dried chickpeas, see notes above if using canned
Few sprigs thyme
1/2 onion
for the curried chickpeas and cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower, 2 to 2.5 lbs.
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced to yield about 1 cup
1 tablespoon curry powder
13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
4 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup raisins, golden are nice
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
Naan, for serving, optional

Directions:
To cook the chickpeas:
Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of water (your largest mixing bowl, or about 4 quarts water). Add the chickpeas and soak for 8 to 24 hours. Drain, and place in a pot with the onion, thyme, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at the gentlest simmer for about an hour or until the chickpeas are cooked through. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Discard thyme sprigs, and onion. Store chickpeas in their cooking liquid. You need 4 cups of cooked chickpeas for the recipe.
To make the curry:
Cook the cauliflower: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut out the core of the cauliflower and remove the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into florets about 2-inches in size — they’ll break down further when they cook with the chickpeas. You should have about 6 cups. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt and the cauliflower to the boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy. Lift out the florets with a slotted spoon, and spread on a tray or plate to cool.
Make the curry: 

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and curry powder and cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are softened and the curry is very fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, then fill the empty can with water and add it to the saucepan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, the cooked cauliflower, 4 cups cooked chickpeas (or the drained canned chickpeas) , raisins, and pine nuts, if using. Stir everything together, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let simmer, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced, the cauliflower has broken down a bit, and the chickpeas taste flavorful. 

Add the cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Serve with naan.