Kale, Chickpea and Sausage Stew (and a little rain)

So you might have heard about a little storm called Irene....well, fortunately the storm did not live up to expectations here. In fact, I slept through most of it, and when I woke up this morning, I couldn't even hear the rain/wind. Of course, those in other areas aren't as lucky; my parents lost power and there's definitely pretty bad flooding in Jersey and LI, but all in all, it could have been a lot worse!

I had been all worried about not having power and having to keep myself entertained--I laid in a supply of books (I'm currently halfway through the 4th in the Song of Fire and Ice series), charged my mp3 player, dug out some yarn, and then I cooked a giant pot of this insanely delicious stew to last the weekend. (Oh, I might have laid in some, ahem, liquid supplies too.) This is pretty much the only way I want to eat kale, but this stew is so delicious, I would actually buy kale to make it. I first saw this recipe over at Tamarind and Thyme and I am HOOKED! I think it would be delicious even without the chorizo, but hey, pork is aces in my book.

Chickpea, Kale, and Sausage Stew, adapted from Tamarind and Thyme
2 sausages (chorizo, hot Italian, or whatever your fave sausage is)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
2-3 dried chilis (or a pinch of chili flakes), optional
olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 bunch kale (approximately 10-12 stalks), stemmed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

If you're using fresh sausage, just remove the casings and break it up into chunks. If you're using a cured sausage, chop it into bite size bits. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the onions until translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the garlic and chilis and let cook until fragrant. Toss in the tomatoes and stir until they break down slightly. Add the chickpeas and about a cup of water. Cover and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Uncover and scatter the kale leaves over the stew; if it's starting to look dry add a bit more water and put the cover back on. Let simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until the kale is done to your liking (I like mine pretty soft, which takes about 25 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with bread (although I also think it might be pretty fab over some pasta).


I finally ventured out for a walk this morning, which was a bit weird because lots of people were out but no stores were open! There were lots of people in Riverside Park too, where I found this enormous pond; most of the grassy patches between the walkways were underwater. The dogs were having a great time playing in it, but the wind was still blowing pretty fiercely so I elected to head back.


Oh yeah, the one store that was open was M2M, where I picked up this can of coffee--mostly because the name made me laugh. Let's Be Mild! And mild it certainly was. Hope everyone weathered the storm and that your cleanup isn't too bad!