Spiced Chickpea, Pumpkin & Kale.md

Spiced Chickpea, Pumpkin & Kale

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
• 1 cup butternut pumpkin, chopped into 1-2cm cubes
• 4-6 cups kale/black cabbage/cavolo nero, chopped, stems included
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 sage leaves
• 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp sumac seed
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or chilli flakes)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Good extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Method

1. (If using canned chickpeas, skip this step) In a saucepan, cover the chickpeas, 3 cloves of garlic, and sage leaves with water, and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until just tender (still with a bit of bite).
2. Preheat the oven to 230ºC.
3. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil, and add the pumpkin to parboil for about 10 minutes. It should still be firm, but with a bit of texture on the surface.
4. Drain the pumpkin, and lay it out on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with EVOO, and dust with paprika, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp sumac. Season with salt and pepper, and lightly roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
5. In a frypan over a low-medium heat, slowly dry-fry the coriander seed, cumin seed and remaining sumac seed, agitating constantly. Remove from heat as soon as they start releasing their fragrances (so keep your nose peeled!). Transfer the spices to a mortar and pestle, and grind until fine.
6. When the chickpeas are ready, drain them and transfer to a bowl (I kept the garlic and sage in there for extra flavour, but you can remove them if you like). Add the pumpkin. Drizzle with a bit of EVOO and lemon juice, and mix in the ground spices until evenly coated.

--- At this point, you can put the ingredients away for the flavours to infuse. The flavours will infuse for a few days after, so keep it as long as you can wait.