Lemon-Garlic Chickpeas with Sautéed Kale

When talking to other people I find that chickpeas are almost universally the most popular of all legumes. And it's little wonder — not only are they pleasantly mild enough to marry well with almost any kind of vegetable and hot or sour spicing, but their buttery and slightly sweet flavour are a delight by all by themselves. I know I always find myself snacking on them before combining my cooked chickpeas with other ingredients, and a friend of mine frequently cooks them up just to eat by themselves with a little salt.

Of course, if the natural buttery-ness of chickpeas is only enhanced by the addition of a little extra butter, then they will be made beautiful with lemon and garlic. These very easy-to-make buttery lemon-garlic chickpeas are quite delicious on their own as a simple medley of naturally complementary flavours, but sitting on a bed of sautéed kale and served with rice they become a very elegant and nutritious dinner, rich not only in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, fatty acids, and B and C vitamins from chickpeas but also in the calcium, iron and carotenoids in kale.

Lemon-garlic chickpeas with sautéed kale

Chickpeas:

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cayenne powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and cut into thin 1-inch matchsticks
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Kale:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh kale, leaves and stems coarsely chopped
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Soak the chickpeas overnight in a medium saucepan with 5 cups of water and a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft and tender but still intact. Meanwhile, soak the minced garlic in the lemon juice.

Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain them, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid for the kale, then return the beans to the saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the butter to melt, then add the lemon juice and garlic mixture along with the lemon zest, sea salt and a pinch of cayenne. Stir and let simmer very gently while the kale is cooked.

To sauté the kale, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, toss in the sliced garlic, stir for a few seconds to let the slices soften and start to turn brown at the edges, then add the kale and the reserved 1/3 cup of the chickpeas' cooking liquid. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, lifting the lid and stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted and the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and dress with a few pinches of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

When the kale is finished, stir the jalapeño and fresh ground black pepper into the chickpeas. To serve, place a small bed of the sautéed kale on a plate and ladle the chickpeas on top. Serves 4 to 6.

This is my contribution to "Think Spice", a monthly event hosted by Sunita who appreciates the necessity of spices in the kitchen. The theme this month is garlic.