Swiss Chard and Chickpeas (Page 542)

RECIPE #773

• Date: Thursday, July 3, 2008 -- 9pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: Matty's Apartment
• Fellow Chef: Matty
• Recipe Rating: B
  

This dish seemed like one my special gentleman would enjoy, so I chose it to go with some fish last week. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to like this. Chard is not my favorite, so I tend to avoid the chard recipes in The Book. This dish was a pleasant surprise though. The flavor of the chard went very well with the onions and garlic in this dish. The chickpeas were also a nice complement to the chard, providing this dish with some substance. The sauce was tomato-based, and fairly tasty. My one complaint about this dish is that it was a little bland. Everything tasted good, but there was no kick to it, no excitement. It could have used more acidity -- there was a touch of lemon juice, but it wasn't enough. The Book claims this is an Armenian dish. I am unfamiliar with Armenian food, and I'm curious how this dish is traditionally spiced and seasoned. As it is, it was tasty, but I'm not eager to make it again.

Here is the recipe.

I used to think that it was impossible to appreciate being healthy if one never got sick. But I haven't been sick in a while and yet today I am really appreciating my health! I am starting week 10 of my half-marathon training, which means that I have completed 45 runs, and I haven't missed a single run because I wasn't feeling well. This, for me, is a big deal. At various points in my life I was that person who was always sick. I had chronic headaches in college, stomach problems throughout much of my life, issues with my tonsils, and a variety of really weird medical problems: cysts on my ovaries, a leaking spinal column, a brain tumor... I have spent more time in emergency rooms and hospitals than I care to admit. Now, though (knock on wood) I am healthy! Ok, true, I still have a brain tumor, but I feel great. And in some ways I am glad that I have had to deal with an assortment of minor medical issues, because now that I (hopefully!) have them all sorted out I feel so blessed by my health. Lately, with all the running I have been doing, I am feeling athletic and healthy, and it is great!