Curried Chickpeas and Spinach and CSA basket #6

I have had an indescribable craving for curry lately. I have no idea what it is. Maybe there was a curry trend on some of the food blogs I was reading. Or, maybe I was just missing eating out at Saigon. Either way, I've had curry on the brain.

I tried to satisfy my craving by ordering Thai chicken curry at Saigon on Friday. Despite the 50 minute wait, all the while thinking I could have made this at home by now, the curry was delicious! But, my cravings didn't stop there...

Saturday, I had decided was a day off. I got up early to fetch the CSA basket (just peas and eggs... it's that turning point in the summer where cold weather crops are done and warm weather crops aren't quite ready yet), and then I read food blogs, and took a nap, and read food blogs, and ... didn't do a damn thing. Sometime around 11:00pm, while Rob was at school, I decided to try a riff on one of the recipes I'd read earlier in the day. I moseyed over to my apartment to fetch the curry powder (Rob's not much of a curry fan, so I was all alone on this one), and then came back to rummage through the cupboards.

The resulting snack was delicious, and I will forever cook chickpeas in this fashion!

Curried Chickpeas and Spinach
Modified from Dinner with Julie's recipe

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. spicy curry powder (more or less to taste)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1 cup(ish) packed fresh spinach

Heat an 8-inch skillet on medium heat. Add the olive oil - in a thin layer that completely coats the bottom of the pan. It might not be quite 1 Tbsp, but you want it to coat the pan thinly. When the oil is good and hot, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas. They will sizzle and crackle for a bit, and that's okay. What we're trying to do is mimic roasting the chickpeas - so we want them to get a little color on them and sizzle over the heat. After 2-3 minutes, add the curry powder and the garlic cloves. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes more so the curry seasoning is well distributed and the garlic doesn't burn. Add 1/4 cup of water and put a lid on the pan. This creates a bit of a sauce as it cooks down helps with nice even coloring. Cook 2-3 minutes more. When the chickpeas have taken on a nutty aroma and are starting to brown, add the fresh spinach and put the lid back on the pan. It takes about a minute to wilt. Stir the spinach in, and voila! You have a tasty and healthy snack.

I attempted to eat the entire can of chickpeas, but I couldn't quite do it. I did get about 2/3 of the way through the delicious nuttiness. The texture of the chickpeas are entirely transformed when you cook them with this method. I've always found chickpeas to be gritty and strangely toothsome. These chickpeas were tender - almost like well-cooked potato tender. They still had the same flavor, and they had a little bit of the familiar tooth, but they were utterly transformed. So much better! I'm definitely trying Julie's method next time and adding a poached egg. I was so enamored by the aroma of this first batch that I couldn't be bothered to poach an egg to go with it. =)

I have already envisioned using this technique with a variety of flavorings, but the curry definitely satisfied my craving. All it cost me was 10-15 minutes standing over a pan, $1 for a can of chickpeas, and maybe $0.50 for the spinach and curry powder. So I spent $2ish for a delicious meal I couldn't finish in one sitting, instead of $12 for a meal I had to wait an hour for and could finish in one sitting. I'm beginning to understand the rationale behind Not Eating Out In New York!