Earlier this week, my sister-in-law lent me her kitchen for a few hours. We made a deal, I could play with her fancy slow cooker if I made enough food to feed the family and some friends. I have a baby slow cooker that's no where near as big or powerful as her's. Naturally, I was giddy with excitement - so many possibilities: soup, stew, curry, maybe even a whole roast chicken! I went into her pantry and rustled up some ingredients: chickpeas, carrots, garlic, a can of tomatoes and some spices. That settled it: Chickpea Stew was added to the dinner menu!
Stews are a staple in my recipe arsenal
Once a week, I make a stew of some kind with whatever ingredients I have on hand. So, coming up with a recipe for this stew was easy peasy! Since we'd already planned to go on a mini grocery run, I bought a few key ingredients for the stew. Then I went to work; first I all the necessary chopping and prep work. Then I sautéed the onion and the garlic.While that was on the stove, I made the broth (using Better than Bouillon) and turned on the slow cooker. I poured the broth into the slow cooker and threw in the chickpeas, tomatoes and roasted red peppers. When garlic and ginger mix was ready, I tossed it into slow cooker.
I had to leave so I didn't get to enjoy the finished product. But my sister-in-law assured me that it was delicious and approved by a touch, 2-toddler panel of tasters. Please try the recipe out and let me know what you think.
Recipe: Berbere Chickpea Stew
- 1 24 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1-2 cups stock
- 1 small can roasted red pepper
- 1 Tbsp Berbere (I make my own, but store bought is fine)
- 1 Tbsp oil
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 bags of spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large pan or pot. Add the onions and ginger to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 mins. While that is going, add stock, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, and tomatoes to the slow cooker and turn it on. When the onions are tender, add in the garlic and fry until fragrant, then toss in the Berbere and stir to coat. Take the pan/pot of the heat and pour its contents into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. At hour 4, add the carrots to the slow cooker. 10 minutes before serving, add the 2 bags of spinach to the pot and stir, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice or sweet potatoes and garnish with cilantro.
Don't have a slow cooker? No problemo! In a large stock pot, sauté ginger, carrot, and onion in oil for 5-7 minutes. Once the onions are tender, add garlic and fry until fragrant. Toss in the Berbere and stir to coat. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted red pepper and stock to the pot. Bring to boil, then simmer for 30-45 minutes. Then add the spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice or sweet potatoes and garnish with cilantro.
Kalibu!