Cream of Chickpeas with Chicken and Red Cabbage

08Nov09

This is one of those hit or miss recipes. It could have gone either way, and to be honest, until I took my first bite, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. I like chickpeas, typically. I love hummus with crispy pita chips, especially. So when La Cucina Italiana did an entire spread on new and inventive ways to use chickpeas, I thought I should at least attempt one of the recipes. And in the end, I’m really glad I did.

I’m not sure I’ll be reaching for this recipe year after year, but the flavors were surprising (like the radicchio was with this squash), and, if anything else, it’s broken up the very orange-colored posts that have been dominating this blog for the past couple of weeks. We’ll be back to pumpkin and squash recipes in no time, but for now, this is a nice diversion.

Cream of Chickpeas with Chicken and Red Cabbage

Adapted from La Cucina Italiana

September/October 2009

This dish is perfect for a cold winter night. Dried beans would be worth soaking and cooking if you have them, otherwise, use canned.

Ingredients

3 cans garbanzo beans, drained

olive oil

2 chicken breasts

sea salt

pepper

½ head of red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

¾ cup dry red wine (or you can add smaller quantities of balsamic and red wine vinegars)

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

Rinse and drain chickpeas, reserving ¼ cup in a separate bowl. Puree in a food processor for 2 minutes, until smooth, gradually adding broth until combined. Season with salt and transfer to a medium saucepan. Keep warm over low heat and stir in a few thyme leaves.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cook, turning once, 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then chop into 1-inch chunks.

Return pan to heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, cabbage and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add either ¾ cup red wine and 2 tablespoons water, or approximately ¼ cup of vinegars. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and cabbage is tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Divide puree among bowls. Top with cabbage, chicken and reserved chickpeas. Garnish with thyme leaves and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve warm.

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