Do You Hear It?

The vague sound of a brass section coming down the street?  That's the sound of the bandwagon I'm about to jump on.  For what, you ask?  A soup that sounds totally unassuming as you're reading through the ingredients list.  And while it looks good in the photos, you're thinking, 'but it's just soup'.

But it's not just soup.  I suppose the first thing I should do is stop calling it 'soup' and start calling it 'stew.'  #thestew, to be accurate.  The hashtag currently has 3,108 posts attached to it on Instagram.  I believe it is totally deserving of each and every one of them.  New York Times Food/Bon Appetit writer, Alison Roman, first wrote about the stew in November.  I'm here to tell you it's delicious.  It's easy.  It's hearty without being overly filling.  We've had a couple of rainy, cold, and grey days here in Los Angeles (it's Winter, after all) and it was the perfect kind of weather for this stew.

You may have caught Alison on the 'Today Show' last week on one of their food segments.  I missed the original NYT article, but happily caught her appearance.  You can see it here.  Watch it, then run to the kitchen and make #thestew.  I'll be looking for your post on Instagram tomorrow night.

Alison Roman's Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk that I riffed slightly.

Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 inch piece of ginger (peeled and grated)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp tumeric
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can coconut milk, full fat
1 cup vegetable broth
1-1 1/2 cups kale, torn from stalk
cilantro, for serving
2 tbsp yogurt
salt and pepper

In a pot over medium heat, add olive oil, garlic, ginger, and onion.  Saute until onion turns translucent and edges begin to brown.  Add garbanzo beans, red pepper flakes, and tumeric.  Allow garbanzo beans to get a little brown on them--8 to 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside about a quarter cup for garnish.  Add vegetable broth and coconut milk.  Stir all ingredients and smash chickpeas as much as possible.  Turn heat to simmer, stirring occasionally.  Let cook for 30-35 minutes.  You'll see the stew thicken around the 30 minute mark.  Add kale, stir, and cook until softened, but still bright green.   Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro, reserved chickpeas, and a dollop of yogurt.

The original recipe calls for mint, not cilantro, but I'm not a mint fan.  Feel free to use it if you are.  Also, the kale can be substituted with spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, or any other leafy green you like.  Add more red pepper flakes if you want to take the spicy up a notch or two.  The original recipe also calls for serving with lavosh or pita.  I found it to be unnecessary, but if you want to sop up all the stewy bits...go to town!

In other news, I want to wish you all an amazing and abundant 2019.  And it will be.