Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi has been at the forefront of the plant-based foods movement, with his 2010 cookbook "Plenty" lining the shelf of many homecooks looking for healthy yet delicious recipes with a twist. We were excited to see a recent feature by him dedicated to cooking with chickpeas in the Guardian.
Among the recipes, Turkey and Chickpea meatballs and Crisp Spinach with Chickpeas. The near-crunchiness of the spinach contrasts nicely with the al dente softness of well cooked chickpeas.
500g spinach leaves, washed, tough stems removed
25g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
10g oregano leaves
Salt
125ml olive oil
1 tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried (240g drained weight)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Put a large saucepan on a high heat, add the spinach, parsley, oregano and a third of a teaspoon of salt, and leave to wilt, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the leaves start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn down the heat to medium-low and gradually pour in the oil, stirring as you pour and scraping the browned leaves from the base of the pan. Leave to cook for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are dark, then stir in the chickpeas and fry gently for 10 minutes more, stirring now and then, until the chickpeas are just starting to brown but are still soft inside. Add the garlic, fry, stirring occasionally, for a final five minutes, then spoon into a shallow bowl and serve.
For the rest of the recipes, read the article here.
