chickpeas – Harmonious Belly

balsamic garbanzos mustard greens

I’m a big fan of leafy greens – kale, chard, collards. I just love them! However, I’ve had a hard time warming up to mustard greens – they are often just too peppery-spicy for me, and eating a whole plate of them can be a challenge. We got mustard greens in this week’s CSA share, so I wanted to find a way to prepare them in a tasty way.

mustard greens

While searching the internet, I came across a recipe from a most unlikely source: the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen website. While I am neither a vegan nor a fan of fat free cooking, the idea of ameliorating the peppery mustard greens with balsamic vinegar was appealing. And I love chickpeas. I decided to see what I could do to take it out of the “fat free vegan” realm and make the dish healthier and more nourishing.

greens onions garlic

Turns out it was pretty easy! I replaced the vegetable broth with pastured chicken broth I had made earlier in the spring, added some olive oil, and made sure to use naturally fermented soy sauce. I also used coconut sugar in place of refined sugar, or agave (which I don’t use or trust).

The balsamic vinegar really does help out with the peppery-ness of the mustard greens. The garbanzos are sweet and mild, and the sauce was really yummy -tangy and a little sweet. The whole combination is really delicious. I would make this again for sure.

It was also great the day after – I took it for lunch topped with a couple of fried eggs. It was so tasty!

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens
Adapted from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 ounces mustard greens
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons chicken broth, preferably home made
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon naturally fermented soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Remove any large stems from the greens and discard. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

In a large skillet or wok, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onion until it softens, 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring, for another minute.

Add the mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of broth, and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt, if using. Remove greens and onions from pan with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, leaving any liquid in pan.

Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and coconut sugar to the liquid in the pan (if there is no liquid, add 2 tablespoons of broth). Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half. Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle the sauce over all. Finish by drizzling another tablespoon or so of olive oil over the dish.

Serve warm, with additional balsamic vinegar at the table.

Servings: 2

This post is participating in Fight Back Friday, hosted by Food Renegade, and the Two for Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by A Moderate Life.

socca round

Socca, too me, has always had an exotic aura about it. From time to time I’d imagine what it might be like to eat it while lingering on vacation in the south of France, enjoying this chickpea crepe on a lazy afternoon in sea-salted air.

I wondered if it needed special ingredients that you could only get abroad. Well, the answer is… no. Turns out it’s simple, unpretentious food, made with only a handful of ingredients. My favorite!

I was inspired most recently to make socca after going through the little bags of flours in my pantry, and putting some of them in glass jars that I bought on the weekend. I had the majority of a bag of chickpea flour sitting on the shelf, left over from making baked sweet potato falafel a while back. The flour didn’t all fit in my glass jar, so I thought why not use some of it up. Socca came to mind immediately.

socca batter in the pan

socca slice new

I first checked for the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, but turns out that particular recipe called for an addition of a cup of white flour, something I wasn’t too keen on. So, I turned to the interwebs for guidance. I came across David Lebowitz’s recipe, which was simple and straightforward in its ingredients, and was exactly what I was looking for (and no white flour).

It was delicious! Very easy to make, consisting of five ingredients that come together effortlessly. It was well-received in my household, so much so that I plan to make it regularly. This summer I’ll be eating it with an ice cold glass of rosé.

Socca
from David Lebowitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris

I found it to be easier to heat up the initial pan of olive oil on top of the stove instead of in the oven with the broiler. This also means there is one less scary grab of a hot hot hot pan handle. Socca is also naturally gluten free.

1 cup (130g) chickpea flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (280ml) water
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
freshly-ground black pepper, plus additional sea salt and olive oil for serving

Mix together the flour, water, salt, cumin, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let batter rest at least 2 hours, covered, at room temperature.

To cook, heat the broiler in your oven. Oil a 9- or 10-inch (23cm) pan (I use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet) with the remaining olive oil and heat the pan on top of the stove (you can heat it in your oven if you prefer).

Once the pan and the oven are blazing-hot, pour enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom, swirl it around, then pop it back in the oven.

Bake until the socca is firm and beginning to blister and burn. The exact time will depend on your broiler.

Slide the socca out of the pan onto a cutting board, slice into pieces, then shower it with coarse salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Cook the remaining socca batter the same way, adding a touch more oil to the pan between each one.

Makes about three 9 10-inch (23cm) pancakes