3⁄4 cup chickpeas
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
6 canned plum tomatoes, drained, seeded and diced
5 sage leaves, chopped
1 kg. spinach or mixed leaves
11⁄4 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
Soak the chickpeas overnight, drain and cover with 21⁄2 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook covered over low heat till tender. Alternatively, boil chickpeas for 5 minutes, soak 1-2 hours and cook till tender. Do not drain.Rinse the leaves, remove stems, and separate the leaves from the ribs (if using Swiss chard). Cut the leaves into thick strips, and slice the ribs thinly. You should have about 5 cups. In a very large frying pan or wide pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and sage over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, stirring often (do not brown garlic). Add the tomato and cook another minute.Add the leaves a large bunch at a time, stirring constantly, to allow room for them all. Cook just until the leaves wilt.Add the chickpeas and any cooking liquid, salt and pepper, and a half cup of water, and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender and the liquids at the bottom of the pan have thickened. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on top if desired.EASY MIXED BERRY STREUSEL Great for Tu Bishvat. For a real show-stopper, cut into eights as outlined below, and serve warm topped with real maple, maple-agave, or agave syrup.
3⁄4 cup white flour
3⁄4 cup whole-wheat flour
1⁄2 cup demerara sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1⁄2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3⁄4 cup mixed dried berries, like 1⁄4 cup of each: blue berries,cranberries and gogi berries
Topping:
2 Tbsp. cold butter
2 Tbsp. demerara sugar
4 Tbsp. white and whole-wheat flour
1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon
1⁄4 cup chopped pecans In a large bowl sift flours, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar.In a small bowl, whisk egg, milk and cooled butter. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquids. Use a wooden spoon to blend till smooth. Fold in the berries.Dampen the bottom of a 20x20-cm. baking pan and line with a square of parchment paper. Use a spatula to transfer the dough to the pan, and spread it evenly to the corners with dampened fingers.In a small bowl, cut the cold butter into small chunks and mix it with the sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, cinnamon and pecans, using your fingers to create coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top and bake for 25 minutes, until the cake is browned and the crumbs are golden, and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool at least 15 minutes on a rack before cutting. Make two diagonal lines to form an “X”, and cut vertical and horizontal lines to make 8 pieces. Each piece may also be cut into two triangles to make 16 pieces. Best served warm.