A favorite winter stew is this one from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It has chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes and some carrots and is quite hearty and delicious. You should see the pages of my cookbook containing chickpea recipes; they are all dirty and wavy from moisture and use and clearly show my love of chickpeas. I always cook them using the dried beans; I think that they have better flavor and texture than canned. You should be seeing green specks in the dish, from the cilantro and parsley, but I never have these in my refrigerator during winter so I do without. Madison also writes that this stew is good cold served with lemon wedges and black olives, but I've never tried it. I really should; it would make a nice pot luck contribution.
Chickpeas with Potatoes and Tomatoes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 red potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes about the size of the chickpeas
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 small dried chili
2 plump garlic cloves, mashed with 1/2 teas coriander
1 cup peeled diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
3 cups chick peas cooked, or 2 15 oz cans, rinsed
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup water or chickpea broth
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped parsley
- Heat the oil with the onions in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until lightly colored, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, chili, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and chick peas; add 1 teas salt and a few twists of pepper from pepper mill, and add water. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste for salt and add fresh herbs.
Oh yum, I too am a fan of the chick pea.
ReplyDeleteChick peas are also a family favourite at home, in stews or for homemade hommos. I use sprouted chick peas and steam them. Sprouting chick peas is really very easy, increases the enzymes and vitamin content, reduces the requested cooking time (25 minutes steaming, better than boiling to maintain vitamins), and makes them more digestable. Bon appetit from Belgium!
ReplyDeleteGuy Cardon
Thanks for your comments, estyn and Guy. That's an interesting idea about sprouting the chick peas; I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteHi Altoon, You know how much I love and am inspired by your cooking! I will try this as soon as we get home. One recommendation for you--I have had great success mincing cilantro and parsley from the garden with olive oil and then freezing in the smallest size of mason jars. It's like a pesto but less olive oil and minus the other ingredients (though sometimes I do add garlic)--it really retains it's green color and is great to add to soups or spread on bread or crackers for a midwinter vitamin boost. susan w
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Susan. I did that this year with basil, freezing it in small plastic wrap packets, but didn't think to do it with parsley and cilantro. I will certainly do that this year, and also freeze some lovage, for celery flavor.
DeletePS Meant to say that I do it in the cuisinart.
ReplyDeletesusan w