Ottolenghi's Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt

Good cookbooks provide instruction and inspiration, but some of my favourites have an additional benefit — beautifully crafted photographs that illustrate the wonders and creativity of food. One of the finest collections of mouth-watering food photographs in my library is contained in Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, a London chef and restauranteur with very inventive styles of cooking and presentation. I especially respect a master chef who pays more than just lip service to vegetarian cooking — the subtitle of the book is "Vibrant Vegetable Recipes", which includes legumes, grains, eggs and dairy. I can highly recommend this cookbook for more than just the pictures.

The following is a minor adaptation of one of Ottolenghi's more colourful and nourishing recipes. I've kicked up the heat a little with some dried red chili flakes, but the real attractions of this dish are the fragrance and sounds of caraway seeds and carrots sizzling in hot oil, the warm anise-like flavour of the seeds permeating the vegetables, and the zesty tang of lemon juice and a large dollop of Greek yogurt on top. By the way, I urge you to buy a whole-fat Greek yogurt (if you are not making your own) and avoid the no-fat varieties — without the milk fat, a Greek yogurt is just flat.

Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes From London's Ottolenghi Published on November 26. 2011 Warm and fragrant caraway-seasoned chickpeas and vegetables combined with the zest and tang of lemon juice and Greek yogurt Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Print this recipe Chickpeas: 1/2 cup dried chickpeas (1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 14 oz can) 1 lb (450 g) Swiss chard 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 medium carrots, diced 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed juice of 1 lemon small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped small handful fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Yogurt: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and soak 8 hours or overnight under several inches of cold water. Drain and rinse, then place in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain and set aside. Prepare the Swiss chard by separating the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems into bite-size pieces and chop the leaves coarsely. Fill a large saucepan with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and blanch the stems for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and drain. Rinse the chard under cold running water and squeeze dry. Set aside. Heat a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots and caraway seeds, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the seeds from sticking. Stir in the dried red chili flakes, and continue to sauté for another 30 seconds. Now stir in the chickpeas and chard, and cook for 5 more minutes to warm the ingredients, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, mint and cilantro or parsley, and remove from heat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Mix the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl. Serve the chickpeas hot or warm on plates with a generous dollop of the yogurt mixture on top. Sprinkle with more black pepper if desired. Makes 4 servings

More ideas from my kitchen that you may enjoy:
Tuscan-Style Pinto Bean Soup with Kale
Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon
Sautéed Spinach and Cannellini Beans with Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Butternut Squash and Herbed Cannellini and Artichokes with Fennel and Parsley Salad