Roasted Chickpeas with Braised Chard

(Updated below.)

This recipe is the result of two recent themes in my cooking: 1) trying to get more of my protein from plant sources, rather than animal sources, and 2) the "try new things!" efforts made necessary by my weekly CSA bounty. It's from the January 2008 Bon Appétit and although it might not sound great (unless you're very much a fan of either chickpeas or chard, or both), it's really delicious.

Roasted Chickpeas with Braised Chard

For the chickpeas:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 large shallot, peeled and cut in half
1 medium or 2 small bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the chard:
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 small bay leaf
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1 cup low-sodium broth

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first 6 ingredients in 8x8x2" baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover dish with foil and roast until garlic is tender, 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, and bay leaf. Cover and cook until fragrant and shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover and add half of the chard. Stir and toss until chard wilts and volume is reduced by half (about 2 minutes), then add remaining chard (plus more oil if needed) and repeat. Add broth, cover, and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a seive set over a bowl, and drain.

Drain chickpeas and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine chickpeas and chard in a large skillet (I just used the pot I'd used to cook the chard) and add 2 tablespoons reserved oil from chickpeas. Toss over medium heat until heated through, adding oil by the tablespoon as needed. Check seasonings and serve.

Update: I thought this would make for less-than-appetizing leftovers, but I'm eating it for lunch one day later, and it's surprisingly good. Perhaps the flavors have had a chance to dance around with each other, but it's quite tasty--and not as slimy as I feared it would be (especially the greens).