Pasta With Chickpeas and Kale

Photo: flickr user little blue hen

Ingredients

1 pound Kale or other greens, washed and trimmed

1 tablespoon Olive oil

1 tablespoon Garlic, minced

1 Dried hot pepper (opt)

4 tablespoons Parsley, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Ziti, elbow macaroni, twists or bowties

2 cups Cooked chickpeas, drained

Preparation

Set a large pot of water to boil, and add salt. Cut the kale stems into 2-3 inch pieces; chop the leaves coarsely and set aside. Boil the stems until they are nearly tender; then, add the greens. Cook until kale is quite tender but stillbright green. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl of ice water, and keep pot boiling. When the kale cools, squeeze out excess water, gather it into a mass and chop rather finely. Meanwhile, place olive oil in a large skillet over ve

Warm the garlic mixture over medium heat, and add the cooked pasta, the chickpeas and the chopped kale.

Toss well, taste for seasoning, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.