chickpeas, fennel, and potatoes

lime juice • cilantro sauce • cilantro makes 4 to 6 servings I first moved to Brooklyn in 1997 to attend graduate school at NYU. My homeboy from college, Mike Molina, and I got an apartment in Crown Heights on Schenectady Avenue near the Utica stop on the MTA’s 3/4 line. Coming from New Orleans, where we went to college, a Black neighborhood in Brooklyn was the perfect place for us to land in NYC. Most of the folks living in our building were from the Caribbean, and there were lots of independently owned West Indian businesses, including a plethora of Rastafarian-owned health food stores and juice bars. Feeling stuffed the day after late-night munchies? A shot of ginger juice from down the block would take care of that. Wanting to alkalinize/energize before a long day on campus in Manhattan? A large green smoothie with ginseng from the juice spot by the subway, please. There were also lots of good, fast, and cheap Caribbean restaurants in the neighborhood. My two favorite quick bites were veggie patties stuffed inside warm coco bread from any number of Jamaican spots around the way and doubles—fried flatbreads with a curried chickpea filling—at a hole-in-the-wall Trinidadian restaurant on Utica Avenue. *REGGAE AIR HORN BLASTING* At that same Trini spot, I would sometimes get chana and aloo, a mixture of chickpeas and potatoes simmered in curry sauce, and it was delicious. This recipe is my ode to that dish. I incorporate fennel, using it like I would an onion, to add its subtly sweet anise flavor. The cilantro sauce takes this to the next level. Eat it with a green salad to balance everything out.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

SAUCE: In a small skillet, combine the garlic, olive oil, coriander, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1½ minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the oil mixture to a blender. Add the cilantro, lemon juice, jalapeño, and ¼ cup water and blend until smooth. If necessary, season with additional salt to taste. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Drain the chickpeas and pour them into a medium saucepan or Dutch oven.

Step 3

Add water to cover by 3 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and add the bay leaf, onion, halved garlic cloves, and dried chile. Partially cover and simmer until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add 1 tablespoon salt and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Step 4

Drain the beans, remove the bay leaf, onion, garlic cloves, and chile, and discard.

Step 5

While the chickpeas are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few turns of white pepper and toss well with clean hands to combine. Spread the potatoes over the prepared baking sheet in one layer and roast until tender and starting to turn golden on the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Step 6

In a small skillet, combine the turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, cinnamon, clove, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Toast the spices over medium heat, shaking the pan so they don’t burn, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Immediately scrape the spices into a mortar or spice grinder.

Step 7

Grind into a fine powder and set aside.

Step 8

In the pot you used to cook the chickpeas, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and sauté until it begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and the habanero and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the spice blend and cook, stirring, until well combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Pour in the stock and cashew cream and add the potatoes and chickpeas. Stir well to combine, decrease the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the curry has thickened, about 2o minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Step 9

To serve, spoon the chickpeas, fennel, and potatoes into bowls. Top with cilantro sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro, whole cilantro leaves, and a smattering of the reserved fennel fronds, if you like. Give the whole thing a big squeeze of lime juice and serve.

Step 10

“Bucktown” by Smif-N-Wessun from Dah Shinin’ cooking beans While I’m not totally opposed to using canned beans, I tend to avoid them and cook dried beans from scratch instead. Cooking beans from scratch gives me control over their texture, seasonings, and the like, and they taste far superior to canned. I encourage you to make beans from scratch for the recipes in this book to ensure you’re getting the best flavor in every dish.

Step 11

Before cooking dried beans, it’s important to pick through them for foreign objects. I know this seems tedious, but just spread the beans across a baking sheet and make sure there are no pebbles or debris among them. Also, get rid of any shriveled beans.

Step 12

Rinse the beans a few times in cold water, place them in a pot, and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches, so they have room to expand. I soak my beans with 3 tablespoons of kosher salt to help flavor them, so add some before covering the pot and putting the beans in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, discard any beans that have floated to the top of the water. (If you’re in a rush, use this quick-soaking method: Simply cover the dried beans with cold water by 2 inches, add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat, and let them sit for 1 hour, then continue as directed below.) Before cooking, drain the soaked beans and return them to the pot. Add fresh water to cover the beans by about 3 inches. Also, I typically add a bay leaf, onion, garlic, and a dried chile to boost the flavor of my beans while simmering them. Bring the water to a boil, decrease the heat to medium, and simmer for the time suggested in the recipe. Check on the beans periodically and add more water as needed to keep them covered.

Step 13

One last thing: I was always taught to add salt just as the beans turn tender for further seasoning. Don’t add too early or you risk slowing down their cooking time.