Dinner Tonight: A Warm Pan of Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Chèvre

It comes every year, but still, I always find it hard to get a grasp of the in-between season we're in right now. There's some sunshine during the day. You might even describe the afternoons as "mild." But come 6 PM, it's dark, it's cold, and it's definitely not spring. We're past January asceticism, but (thankfully) not yet surrounded by magazines trumpeting the words "Bikini Season!" at us while we try to buy our groceries in peace. You're so ready to leave winter behind, but don't want to put too much stock in a rogue 60° F day.

This dinner satisfies all those ambivalent feelings you may have right about now: It's cozy without weighing you down; it's a one-pan preparation that still manages to build layers of flavor; it's up for being an arugula salad-topper or a runny egg-foundation. And it's very, very good.

A Warm Pan of Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Chèvre

View Recipe

Grocery List
(Organized by area of the market)

• 1 bunch of baby spinach
• 1 bunch fresh chives
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 3 roasted red peppers, packed in oil
• 2 chorizo sausages
• Chèvre, crumbled

We’re assuming you have olive oil, red wine vinegar, an onion, garlic, a 14-ounce can of chickpeas, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. If not, add those to your list!

The Game Plan

About 25 minutes before dinner, slice your onion into thin half moons, and mince 5 cloves of garlic. Heat a bit of olive oil in a sauté pan, and cook down spinach until it wilts, about 4 minutes, adding kosher salt and a drizzle of red wine vinegar.

Remove the spinach and set aside, then toss in the garlic, onion, and roasted red peppers. While those are becoming delicious—and the onion is in the pan, cooking until translucent—roughly chop the chorizo, then add to the pan with the onions. Add the paprika, cayenne, and the (drained) can of chickpeas, stirring everything together and tasting for salt and heat.

Just before sitting down, stir in the reserved spinach, then the chives and the parsley, and finally top with the chèvre. Serve warm, perhaps with a salad, a poached egg, or just more chèvre. Enjoy the in-betweenness—at least for tonight.

You can see the full version of the recipe here.