Chard and chickpeas (Nivig)

October 8, 2012  •  Category:

I thought I’d be done with chard until next year, but no, there’s more chard growing and this recipe is Armenian. And delicious. 

Interchangeable with any green, too, say spinach or kale. 


INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

  • 1 bunch of Swiss chard or spinach or kale
  • 1 onion
  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • salt, Aleppo pepper or paprika (about 1  tsp)
  •  oil, as needed
  • 2 tbsp of tomato paste 
  • 1 tbsp of red pepper paste 
  • 1 tbsp of cilantro (optional)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
  • squirt of fresh lemon juice
METHOD:
  1. Wash and drain the chard and cut in thin shreds. Set aside. Chop the onion, heat some olive oil and fry the onion till golden; add the chard, tomato paste, red pepper paste (if using) and drained (and rinsed) chickpeas; cook for 20 minutes or so, serve either as is or with some plain rice or garlicky yogurt sauce.
NOTE: I added cilantro and garlic because I like it and it adds a Lebanese twist to this dish. Fresh tomatoes can be used instead of the tomato paste, diced.
Recipe inspired by Mireille Doniguian’s La Cuisine du Moyen-Orient; Armenian cuisine by Aline Kamakian and Anahid’s Gourmet Cookbook.
Street scene in Bourj Hammoud, the Armenian neighborhood in Beirut.

Comments

14 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Rosa says:

    A beautiful combination! I love everything about it.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. GAYANE says:

    I love this dish, thank you for your wonderful work!
    Thank you for pictures, specially for Armenian flag!!!

  3. Devaki says:

    This is so lovely and I’m making this as a side for my steak dinner tommorrow nite. Thanks for sharing for I do LOVE swiss chard 🙂

    chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  4. familycook says:

    Such a healthy post this is!

  5. Banana Wonder says:

    My two favorite things!

  6. samir says:

    this dish is delicious!..funny how we do it with eggplant( emsakka)..my mom does a an emsakka variatian with zuccini as well
    .but never had thought to try swiss chard
    till an armenian friend told us to try it…and we loved it! love to scoop it up with bread. great pic btw

  7. Nuts about food says:

    My lunch a few days ago!

  8. Diane says:

    We have masses of chard in the garden and we love chick peas, guess this will be on the menu tomorrow. Thanks. Take care Diane

  9. Susan says:

    You are so lucky to have chard still growing! I know, too much of a good thing can be a problem too. Wonderful dish and could be dinner.

  10. talush says:

    i love everything u post joumanna 3anjad 🙂 this is one of the best blogs ive ever visited…i pretty much use u as my “shou badna nekol layly?” guide :)) y3teke el 3fyeh keep up the great work !

  11. Wayne says:

    I make nivig quite frequently. It’s delicious, it’s vegan, nutritious and easy to make! I don’t have access to Aleppo pepper or red pepper paste, so I substitute chili powder and paprika. I love that it’s just as good at room temperature or even as cold leftovers out of the refrigerator. I love it so much I usually double the recipe. Red-stemmed chard or rainbow chard varieties work nicely too.

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