Pepper and Onion Roast with Soft Indian Spices

I love the sound of "soft indian spices."  It makes me think of ornate fabrics of complimentary colors like pink and orange.  It makes me want to snuggle.  The idea of the title, according to Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift in their rightly lauded The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, is that the spices here are not overpowering.  But they are flavorful.  And they don't elicit snuggling, they elicit diving.  They lead to the kind of ravenous eating in silence that proves you're both comfortable with the food and with the company.

So this is a good dish to share.  It made me feel appreciative.  When is the last time you can say that about your dinner?  Actually, I can think of one more time, but it hasn't been posted yet, so you'll have to wait and see.  Soon, darlings, soon.

But in the meantime:

Pepper and Onion Roast with Soft Indian Spices

3 large cloves of garlic

2 tightly packed tablespoons of cilantro

1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces

2 large yellow bell peppers, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1 large or 2 medium red onions, chopped

1 cup tightly packed arugula

One 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons lime juice

Generous pinch of sugar

Salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

To Finish (all are optional)

Lime juice

Cilantro leaves

Plain yogurt

Preheat the oven to 450, and put a large shallow pan (like a baking tray) onto the middle rack.  The pan will preheat with the oven.

In a food processor, combine the garlic, cilantro and ginger and process until fine, but not pureed.  

In a large bowl, combine this mixture with all of the other ingredients except for the finishing elements.  Toss to mix.  Carefully spread the mixture in the pan which is already in the oven.  Roast for 40 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom.  The peppers should be tender, and the chickpeas should be crisp.

Transfer the roast to a serving bowl and top with the finishing elements.  Serve.