Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Why be blue?



A number of months ago I found out about a quirky little film that's been playing on the festival circuit & ever since then I've been dying to see it. It's an animated film (but it's not for kids) that tells an ancient Indian love story and how the events of that fairy tale are mirrored in the life of the writer/animator who created the film. It isn't all happiness & rainbows, though, so don't confuse this with some sappy Disney fare. Need more convincing? then get this: it's got monkey warriors! And who doesn't love animated monkey warriors? It's called "Sita Sings The Blues" and it's now available on-line. You can watch a video stream or you can download it - all with the blessings of the woman who wrote, directed, animated, and produced the whole thing. I really really LOVED this film, so I urge you to watch it as soon as you can.
http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html

But before you push play, you need to spend a couple minutes in the kitchen. Because you will want to crunch on roasted chickpeas while you watch the film. Oh yes.

This is a really easy recipe. See that photo? That's all of the ingredients. Seriously! Not quite as easy as the dulce de leche I talked about a few weeks back, but almost. But this recipe is a whole lot healthier than dulce de leche, so that makes up for it - especially since these crispy little babies don't taste healthy. Actually, I feel I should warn you that these spicy nuggets can get addictive.

Garam Masala Roasted Chickpeas (from the Bitchin Camero blog)

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Garam Masala (or curry powder or whatever spice makes you happy)
1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt (or regular table salt. Don't buy special salt for this)

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. Dump the chickpeas in a colander and rinse them off really well. I don't know why, but my chickpeas always develop bubbles while I'm rinsing them off. When there are no more bubbles, I know they're properly rinsed.
3. Let the chickpeas sit & drain for about 5 minutes. You could also pour them out onto some paper towels. They don't have to be bone dry, but you don't want them drippy wet, either.
4. Put your drained chickpeas into a bowl. Add the oil, spices, and salt. Stir until chickpeas are well coated.
5. Spread chickpeas out in an even layer on a rimmed cookie sheet.
6. Roast for 40 - 45 minutes. Be sure to stir them half-way through cooking in order to keep the peas in the corners from burning. When the chickpeas are crispy, they're done!

There you have it. Your plans for the evening are set!

2 comments:

georgeious said...

if i start using recipes from things i see posted on your blog, does that mean we've finally reached the final stages of old-fart-hooded-ness?

screw it - i'm going to make them anyway. now can i send you my ethiopian stewed lentils recipe? they were a big hit at book club.

Mary said...

g, maybe I should just have an on-going series here: Food George Should Cook. It's not old-fart-hood-y because we're exchanging recipes through the interwebs! It's all technologically and such!

By the by, you can totally leave out the salt if you want. Knowing your tastes, I don't think you'll need it.