Last week I picked up the first delivery from Hairston Creek Farm, our CSA. It was filled with wonderful goodies like asparagus, salad greens, root vegetables and a bunch of chard. I have never prepared chard before, but was very intrigued by the possibilities, so I dug out this recipe from Deborah Madison and have it a shot on Monday night. The result was delicious and satisfying, perfect on a rainy evening. The chard gave the whole dish a silky, buttery taste that was simple and delicious. Try it, you'll like it.
Recipe: Chickpeas and Chard
You don't have to use a mortar and pestle to mash together the garlic and herbs, but it feels and smells great.
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
pinch or 2 of saffron threads
2 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 medium bunches of chard leave, with stems
2 15-oz cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Heat one tbsp of oil in a wide skillet, then add onion and saffron. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes . While it cooks, pound the garlic with 1/2 tsp. salt, cilantro, parsley and cumin into a rough paste. (Or you could use the food processor.) When the onions are golden and soft (they'll be VERY yellow from the saffron, so golden is judgement call) add the herb mixture to the pan with the tomato paste and work into the onions.
Slice the chard leaves off their stems and cook in a pot with two cups of water for about 10 minutes. Move to a colander, leaving water in pot. Trip the chard stems to even lengths, then chop to a fine dice and cook in the reserved water for 10-15 minutes.
Add the chickpeas to the onion mixture with 1 cup vegetable stock or water. Coarsely chop the chard leaves and to the mixture, simmer for 10 minutes and add stems. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pieces of naan or pita.
Mangez!
