IHCC: January Potluck

You can probably tell by the picture that this was supposed to be up before Christmas.

Oh well.

Spinach w/ Chickpeas was the plan for the December "Red & Green" theme @ I Heart Cooking Clubs.  What was that?  At least two weeks ago?

Oh well.

Good news:  while this dish would have been perfect for the Red & Green theme, I'm saved once again by the anything-goes monthly Pot Luck!

Bad news: I didn't care for the dish very much.

It was monotonous.  While the recipe sates that Spinach w/ Chickpeas is spicy, I didn't find that to be the case.  I did two things differently.  (1) Skipped the turmeric (personal taste).  (2) Did NOT add the spinach and then cook it for 30 minutes.  Seemed like way too long to cook spinach.  I did like the raw onion, ginger, chile, lemon juice mixture used as a topping.

The recipe says it serves 4, but this makes a lot of food.
A printable version can be found @ saveur.com

Spinach with Chickpeas
from Madhur Jaffrey

2 1/2 lbs. fresh spinach (to yield 1 1/4 lbs. trimmed)
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
1 3'' piece fresh ginger, peeled
7 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp. ground turmeric (skipped)
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 28-oz. can tomatoes, drained
2 cups cooked chickpeas with 1 cup cooking liquid
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 fresh serrano chile, minced

Trim spinach and wash in several changes of water. Blanch in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium-high heat for 2 minutes; drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water and roughly chop.

Heat butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add all but 2 tbsp. of onions and cook until brown, about 25 minutes.

Roughly chop 2'' of ginger. Purée with garlic and 1/2 cup water in a blender or food processor, then add to onions and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Reduce heat to low, add tomatoes (break up with the back of a spoon), spinach, and chickpeas with their cooking liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add water as needed.

(I simmered the chickpeas for about 20 minutes, then added the spinach for the remaining 10 minutes)

Finely mince reserved onions and ginger; mix with lemon juice and serrano chile in a small bowl. Just before serving, stir sauce into spinach mixture. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.