This is a great mid-week meal and can be ready in 30 minutes. Replace the shrimp with grilled/sauteed chicken or tofu for a vegetarian option and serve with white or brown rice if you want some carbs.
Ingredients:
- 1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger root
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 6 to 8 sprigs cilantro
- 10 ounces spinach leaves
- 2 14- to 16-ounce can chickpeas
- 1/2 large lemon
- 1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp (if using frozen shrimp, make sure they are defrosted)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more if desired
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 3/4 to 2 cups water
Directions:
Use a spoon to peel the ginger; mince the ginger and the garlic, keeping them in separate piles. Finely chop the onion; there should be about 3/4 cup.
Chop the cilantro leaves, discarding the stems. Wash and stem the spinach, then coarsely chop; the two can be mixed together. Drain and rinse the chickpeas; cut the lemon half into 5 wedges.
Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, until the oil shimmers. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom side is pink. Turn them over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until not quite cooked through (still a little translucent in the center). Transfer to a plate and squeeze 1 of the lemon wedges over the hot shrimp.
Return the skillet to the stove, reducing the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the onion. Sprinkle with salt to taste (a big pinch, if possible) and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to brown. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, then add the cumin and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for 20 seconds, then add 1 3/4 cups of the water, the chickpeas and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes; the mixture will be fragrant.
Use a potato masher to crush about half of the chickpeas in the skillet, then add the spinach and cilantro. Use tongs to fold them into the mixture; cook for about 2 minutes, until they have wilted.
Return the shrimp to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of water if needed, until the shrimp is reheated, opaque and just cooked through; be careful not to overcook. Remove from the heat; taste and adjust seasoning as needed, including a finishing pinch of cumin, if desired.
Divide among individual bowls and serve with the remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "Fine Cooking Annual, Vol. 2," from the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking magazine (Taunton Press, 2008).
Posted here by CSA member, Jonathan Leavitt
Comments