Spring is here!

Granted, the gloriously sunny, barely humid weather gracing Philadelphia is probably a sign of our imminent environmental doom, but the unseasonably warm weather does mean that certain greens, like chard, are back in action in my kitchen! After what seemed like years of root vegetables and apples, I am beyond excited for the onset of spring and, eventually, summer produce. In the meantime, however, I made this chickpea, chard, and tamarind stew the other day, which is deliciously spring-y with its citrus and tangy tamarind notes. This recipe comes from my new bible, Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, an amazing vegetarian cookbook whose recipes have yet to bore me. Tamarind may be a little difficult to find- I had to buy it at my neighborhood specialty store (thank goodness for West Philly's abundance of them)- but it's worth the effort. Happy spring, everyone!

4 tbsp seedless tamarind

400g swiss chard (stems and leaves), cut into 1cm slices

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp whole caraway seeds1

½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 tsp tomato paste

400g tinned plum tomatoes, chopped up, juice and all

350ml water

1½ tbsp caster sugar

400g cooked chickpeas

1½ tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted and ground to a powder

Salt and black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1 big handful coriander leaves

Whisk the tamarind with a little bit of warm water until it dissolves into a paste. Set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil, blanch the chard for two minutes and drain.

Put the onion, caraway and olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and golden. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, water, sugar, chickpeas, ground coriander and chard, and season. Strain the tamarind water through a small sieve straight into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, by which time it should be the consistency of thick soup. Adjust by adding water or by cooking uncovered to allow the liquid to evaporate. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Add the lemon juice to the stew and stir. Finish with lots of coriander.