Hot chicks (or, a recipe for pan-fried chickpeas)

Last night, I decided to rearrange the pantry, which was beginning to look a bit like the ingredients were plotting a mutiny. The bad news is: once all food items had been beautifully organized, it quickly became evident that we did purchase some duplicate items in our last trip to the supermarket. The good new is: it’s unlikely that we will run out of pickles. Should the rumblings and rumors about a hurricane headed this way turn out to be true, someone grab some peas and spam, and we’ll meet you in the storm cellar with the pickles – kosher spears and bread and butter chips for everyone!

For lunch today, I decided that I had better start picking my way through some of the stockpiled canned goods, but I was also craving some quick, lean, protein to avoid an afternoon nap. What I came up with was inspired by a March article in the Boston Globe's G Food section (alas, the beautiful pictures accompanying the article are not available in full through the online version; you'll just have to trust me that they were mouth-watering), and was an impressive combination of fresh and canned ingredients and contrasting tastes and textures creating a lunch that was incredibly satisfying. I used quinoa as my grain, but the dish is just as yummy prepared with rice, or tossed over pasta, or eaten alone. The variety of the dish does require that you crack open more than one can of ingredients, creating a quantity that is certainly too much for one individual to eat alone, so I do suggest you find yourself a dining buddy, or commit to having the same thing for lunch two days in a row, but which really isn’t a problem, because it’s awesome.

You will need:

1 can chickpeas

1 can artichoke hearts

1 nectarine (never be afraid to use fruit in savory dishes)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup quinoa

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (optional)

a pinch of salt

a dash of fresh ground pepper

a splash of ground cinnamon

a smattering of paprika

the biggest fistful of thai basil you can manage

Serves 2-3, depending on how hungry you are.

Begin by opening the cans and draining the chickpeas and artichoke hearts. While they are drying, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Put the chickpeas into the pan first, stir to coat them with oil, and then add in all your spices and seasonings. Fry the chickpeas, stirring occasionally, until their hulls begin to crack with an audible pop, and the outside starts to crisp. Put on a pot of water and cook the quinoa (or whatever grain you have decided to use) according to the package directions. Basically, measure out a 2:1 water to grain ratio, and simmer until tender, all the water has evaporated, and the spiral-like germ of the quinoa has exposed itself. Toss the artichoke hearts and nectarine, diced into small cubes, into the frying pan. You might need to add more olive oil at this point. Add a touch more seasoning and toss all your ingredients together until everything is hot and the chickpeas have taken on a crispy exterior. Toss all your basil into the pan and mix everything once to wilt the leaves slightly. Combine your quinoa and the contents of the skillet into a serving bowl and toss again to fully combine. I like to finish the dish with a drizzle of plain yogurt because I think the cooling sour notes compliment the dominating sweet and salty flavors of the dish. Crispy, crunchy, sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and packed with nutritious afternoon energy.