The Stew

I am extremely conscious about the ways we elevate things only to ruin them. Millennials - my generation - are great at this, mostly because we have the internet to heighten and accelerate the process - though I think every generation is drawn to this phenomenon. And once we've ruined things, we look for other things that were ruined or viewed as uncool or unhealthy by a previous generation (e.g., mayo, MSG, Bob Ross) and give them new life.

As a result, I greet every new trend with an appreciation for Newton's Law. When I hear about something that everyone love-love-loves, I anticipate backlash and keep my distance as long as possible. You may view this as a negative way to view the world, a sad form of self preservation, or just a symptom of the times we live in. I do, too, but I'm fine with it. And yet, in trying so hard to avoid trends, I'm finding that I'm not immune to the sway of the pendulum. I want know what everyone is raving about and why. I just may be a late adopter.

So what bandwagon did I most recently, finally, jump on? I made Alison Roman's #TheStew, a spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric. Roman is a big deal among millennials right now because  home cooking is a big deal (a result of our budgets), and in true millennial fashion, we hashtag it like everyone knows about it, because why waste time explaining when there's the internet? And we exalt Alison Roman not only because recipe developers are finally getting their due, but because it's not enough to just like the food - you can't have a good cult-like following without a leader (see also: Samin Nosrat). She invented the ever-popular chocolate chunk shortbread cookies (a.k.a. #TheCookie), which I made, of course, and loved. And thus we decided everything she gave us is gold. It's very possible that Alison Roman's next career move is to have a Netflix show.

But back to the food: In the case of #thestew, I knew based on ingredients alone that I would like it but wanted to guard any enthusiasm I might have by trying to find something that could have been improved. I did reduce the amount of coconut milk a tad (two cans is a lot - not just from a richness standpoint but for the liquid element of it), and I put the chickpeas you're supposed to reserve for garnish back in the stew at the end because I didn't want cold chickpeas on my stew and there's no point in trying to make this dish pretty.

It was a delicious meal - a hearty, affordable, meatless stew that is worth some hype, regardless of trendiness. Even if Alison Roman eventually (sadly) becomes part of a trend we eventually move on from, or if we discover that chickpeas cause cancer and climate change, this is a recipe worth trying now, while it's hot. I don't think it's any better than other delicious meals you might cook at home - I think it's just surprising to a lot of people how filling and satisfying chickpeas are, and with coconut milk and vitamin-packed greens, how diet-conforming this meal is. Call your vegan coworkers, your gluten-free pals, your lactose-intolerant relatives and have a freaking dinner party again. Because dinner parties are trending (because, you know, home cooking) and you better have something ready. Just don't forget the hashtag when you post about it.