Stewed chickpeas

The stewed chickpeas in this dish make a nice meal on their own and provide a nice alternative to rice, pasta, or potatoes if you insist on having some sort of carb as a base of your meals. Start with a finely diced mirepoix for a base - onions, carrots, and celery - with a couple cloves of garlic. Add a drained can of chickpeas, a bit of vegetable broth, and a bay leaf and let simmer. If you have any basic tomato sauce lying around, add a bit of this for some color, then season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cumin. If you can get your hands on some smoked paprika, add this as well. If not, just use regular paprika. I served this with garlic sauted kale. The chicken was butterflied, pounded thin, seasoned with salt, pepper and ras al hanout, rolled up into cylinders, wrapped in plastic wrap gently steamed. When steamed through, brown the chicken in a saute pan and slice across to serve.