Spiced Chickpea Stewing

”Nothing is happening,/ and yet what is being acted-out/ or proven right now, flamboyantly/ might just turn a corner/ and become the real thing.”     Ralph Angel, Poetry 1987

Stagnancy isn’t really stillness; waiting isn’t a deferral. Purgatory isn’t just the space between a red light and a green—in that yellow light there is always a choice to the beholden, and a risk. To move or not to move? To eat? To smile? To sing? To laugh? To foist a javelin toward tomorrow?

Been stewing lately, literally and figuratively. Every day is the real thing. Maybe tomorrow will be better, but if not, or while waiting to see–improve the moment you have now. Find a way to spice it up. Flamboyantly. Make a dish in your yellow light–a yellow light dish.

Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

 Kosher salt and black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 bunch Swiss chard, kale or collard greens, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup mint leaves, for serving

 Yogurt, for serving (optional)

 Toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, for serving (optional)

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!

Add greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you’re using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.

Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you’d like.

“I open one eye, take a look around./ No pat answers, no permanence or rest./ Someone just happens to keep beginning….”