Oh my goodness, I am struggling with motivation today. I arranged for Petely to go to preschool this morning (Wednesdays are usually our day to spend the morning together), and I am just not getting as much done as I had hoped. The kids in my experimental group go on and on (and on and on) and it takes forever to get through their transcripts. I keep typing "PASTA" when I am supposed to be flagging verbs as "PAST," which suggests to me that I should take a lunch break.
Danielle Bean is collecting meatless recipes and I am offering this one as a nutritious inexpensive family favorite. You would not expect children to clamor for a recipe calling for a bag of spinach and a whole head of garlic, but mine do.
So take that head of garlic and separate the cloves. If you put a few of them at a time under the flat side of a heavy knife and whack it forcefully with your fist, perhaps venting your frustration about the glacial speed at which your work is progressing today, you should find that their skins slip off easily. Chop them coarsely and cook them in olive oil with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. When the garlic is tender, add in 2 cans of chickpeas and a big can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes. Add a 10-oz. bag of frozen spinach. The original recipe says to thaw and drain it first, but I tell you what: I just chuck it in frozen and crank up the flame to evaporate the spinach liquid. Salt to taste. Serve over pasta, or brown rice if you're feeling crunchy, with plenty of Parmesan.
It should be clear from yesterday's post that my kids are not spinach-lovers, but they will scarf this right down.
Wow -- this sounds amazing. Definitely filing it away!
Posted by: Layla | February 18, 2009 at 01:25 PM
You certainly do have spinach on the brain, don't you?
But it does look good! I am even considering making it.
Posted by: Tracy | February 18, 2009 at 02:25 PM
ok, I'm cooking this as I type (can you tell I was hard up for dinner ideas tonight?) and I'm wondering, how do you tell when garlic is "tender"?
Posted by: Sarah | February 18, 2009 at 05:14 PM
Taste a piece. Firm and harsh or yielding-ish and mild?
Posted by: CJ | February 18, 2009 at 05:17 PM
I love me some chickpeas, and my kids must be related to Popeye because they really like spinach. Thanks for the great recipe.
Posted by: Kate | February 18, 2009 at 10:15 PM