Easy Winter Supper

There is a big ice and snow storm headed our way.  So I decided to do my grocery shopping tonight after work in order to avoid getting stuck without bread and milk and (who are we kidding?) cheeze-its and nutter butter cookies.

Seems like a few hundred people had the same idea cause the commissary was packed.  Between that  and the large number of folks who think it’s a grand idea to stop their cart in the smack dab middle of the isle while they decide between the creamy and the crunchy Skippy, it took me well over an hour to get finished and back in the car.

This put me back at home far later than I had planned and with two children begging for dinner.  To be fair, JD called and asked me if he could start something for dinner while I was on the way home, but 1. there wasn’t much in the house (hence the grocery run) and 2. I had a plan brewing.

I walked in the house at 6pm and at 6:40 we sat down to dinner.  It was delicious.  Healthy and hearty and yummy.  The spice list is long, but it comes together so easily that it’s worth investing in them.

Plus, I’d put money on the fact that you’ll be making this over and over again.

Chana Masala: adapted from the adaptation from Smitten Kitchen

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced (jalapeno was my choice–seeds removed. Leave them in if you’d like more of a bite)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I left this out because I wanted the girls to eat it)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground *
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon (juiced)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

* Put the seeds in a small skillet, turn on medium heat and wait til you start smelling them.  Toss them around a bit and then throw in a coffee grinder to grind them up.

Katie (our “meat-atarian”, as she calls herself) suggested adding chopped chicken and I think that sounds like a fine idea.

I picked up some store bought naan to serve with it, but any kind of bread would do.  Believe me, you’ll want something to sop up every bit of the sauce.