chick pea greens

After a bad G.I. year, dr bob went to Italy for 2 summer months. Admittedly the lost weight was beginning to find its way home before departure, but a daily double dose of healthy usually vegetarian Italian cuisine coupled with lots of walking put the system back into perfect working order. Lunch and dinner—pasta or risotto with fresh veggies, fresh real mozzarella, cooked veggies on the side. Usually a big hit of sautéed fresh greens. Chicory, escarole, spinach. Available almost universally in Italy's food service industry, from corner lunch bar to full blown restaurant. bob's weight returned to its previous equilibrium value.

Back in the US, this kind of food is just not available. The daily magic greens were history. In theory they could at least be done for dinner at home but the hectic American routine doesn't seem to lend itself to this end very well. Sure, bob tried all of the available greens. No chicory. But escarole, kale, curly endive, collard greens, Swiss chard, and of course the already familiar (fresh) spinach and broccoli rabe.

Yeah, we tried 'em all after re-entry. But nothing seemed to rival the stuff in Italy until this improvisation. The idea came from a supermarket cooking mag impulse buy. The recipe after the eye catching wild mushroom turkey stuffing. Thanksgiving was on the horizon. The recipe suggested mixing numerous greens into a single green thing. We had fresh spinach and kale on hand. About to marry in a quickie ceremony. Joined on the honeymoon by chickpeas to boost bob's protein intake. We tried it. We liked it. We'll do it again soon.

ingredients

2 bunches fresh spinach

1 large bunch kale

2 T olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 leek, chopped

1 can cooked chick peas

1 lemon, juice of

freshly ground pepper

salt to taste

instructions

1. Wash and cook the greens in a very big pot with just the water clinging from the rinsing, until they meet the fate of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, namely melt down to a limp mess in the bottom.
2. Drain and then sauté with the garlic and leeks in olive oil, starting the latter two first until softened and then mixing in the greens. After a bit of shuffling around, add in the chick peas and let them warm up a bit.
3. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper at the end and serve.

notes

1. There should be some. Notes.
2. Like G.I. = gastrointestinal, having to do with the digestive system, which when not functioning properly, is a real drag, requiring intervention by the G.I. guy, usually unprofessionally ignorant of nutritional considerations and likely to prescribe long term pharmaceutical solutions.