Warm Chickpea & Greens Salad with Lamb

My favorite me-time is cooking a long, complicated meal with a podcast on in the background. If I'm trying out something new, even better. But a lot of times, you just need something really fast because you're starving and have a lot of things to get done. This recipe is just that - it's ready in about 20 mins and it's so, so satisfying. That's right, you can even pickle the onions in those 20 mins. If you do make a larger batch of these pickles, they will keep for a good two weeks - they are amazing in tacos or anything that needs something tangy.

I used lamb in this recipe but if you can skip it or replace it with whatever protein you have handy. Similarly, if you want to swap the swiss chard with kale, spinach, or whatever other greens you might have handy, this recipe still works great; you will just have to adjust the cooking time for the greens as some take longer to cook than others.

Serves two.

Ingredients

For the Pickle

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup red wine or white vinegar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

For the Salad

• 6 oz lamb shoulder, fat trimmed and cut into small pieces 
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 bunch swiss chard, washed 
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to salt

Method

1. Begin by pickling the onions. Bring the water and vinegar to a boil. Add the sugar and salt and boil until they have dissolved. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and pour the hot liquid over the onions; set aside.
2. Prep the meat and vegetables. To prep the swiss chard, separate the stems from the leaves and dice the stems. Chiffonade or cut the leaves into ribbons (quick tutorial here).
3. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add half of the olive oil.
4. Add the lamb and sear the pieces for 5 mins; it should be browned and a little crispy.
5. Add the diced onion and swiss chard stems. Cook for 5 mins - the vegetables should be browned along the edges.
6. Add the garlic and a little bit of water or broth to deglaze the pan. Cook for 2 mins
7. Next, lower the heat to medium and add the chickpeas, chili flakes, and salt to taste. Cook for 4-5 mins.
8. Lastly, add the swiss chard leaves and lemon juice and cook for 3 mins, or until the greens are wilted.
9. Remove from the heat, garnish with the pickled onions and serve!