I had a pot-luck meeting to attend, wrapping up our Sense of Wonder - nature camp for girls, so I prepared this dish from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook.
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup chopped onions
1 minced fresh chile (seeds removed for a milder hot)
1 3/4 cups canned tomatoes with juice (14.5-ounce can)
1/4 cup dry sherry (I sub. mirin)
3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed - I substituted cannellini beans)
10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
In a small heat-proof bowl, cover the saffron with the boiling water - set aside.
In a 12 inch skillet, warm the olive oil on medium heat & saute the garlic, onions and the chiles for about 5 minutes. I didn't have the chiles so I used roasted chili paste - about a teaspoon worth. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes into the skillet. I actually did this and made a MESS even with my Calphalon huge arse wok-like pan - yet I had fund doing so. Add the juice from the can (it happened while I crushed the toms with my hands anyways) add the sherry (did not have any so I used mirin), and the saffron with its soaking liquid.
Stir in the chickpeas (cannellini beans) and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Arrange the spinach on top and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook - 5 minutes - until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat and mix in the spinach. season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. (lots of sea salt and pepper for me!)
The beauty of Moosewood - they note servings, prep & cook time and caloric information.
Serves 4 to 6, total time: 40 minutes (I usually reduce the serving size and double the time to prep and cook)
Per 10 ounce serving: 229 calories, 8.1 g protein 6.3 g fat, 33.9 g carbs, .8 g saturated fatty acids, zero mg cholesterol, 562.2 mg sodium, 6.5 g total dietary fiber.
Oh, and they give little tidbits on the dish, how the ingredients complement each other, or how this is Aunt Bessie's favorite dish because it would remind her of her love affair in Spain (oh, just kidding. If they would only be that colorful).
The meal is perfect for vegans and people that cannot eat wheat or gluten (celiac disease). I made a pot of brown rice with wild rice as a side.
Brad commented how he new the fabulous smell was coming from our house as he was riding home. He was excited dinner was ready, too. "Sorry honey, I am off to a meeting - with the dinner." We had leftovers - even better so dinner was ready after our Wednesday Worlds (that he won.)
