SPICED CHICKPEA STEW

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW AKA #THESTEW

As a chickpea fanatic, I had to make the famous NYT stew (trending as #thestew) minus some of the faffy bits, and I thought I'd share the simplified recipe. I served it with naan bread and it was filling and delicious.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving - I used chilli flakes

2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tins full-fat coconut milk

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 bunch kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces - I used scallions and a chopped yellow pepper, as that's what I had

 Yogurt, for serving (optional)

 Toasted pita or naan for serving (optional)

PREPARATION

·         Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

·         Add turmeric, red-pepper or chilli flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper

·         Stir frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle until they break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes

·         Using a wooden spoon, crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides.

·         Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.

·         Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.

·         Add greens and stir. Soften, 3 to 7 minutes. Serve!

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

I have gotten out of the habit of making my own hummus (much easier to buy a pot in Aldi) but we've been on a health kick lately, trying to vary our diet and eat unprocessed stuff as much as possible. So I decided to start making hummus again. Also, I tend to like a chunkier, more garlicky hummus than the shops provide.

Hummus goes off quite quickly (3 days max.) so I only wanted two lunches worth, that is four portions, so I used a small can of chickpeas from Tesco - 130g drained weight.

97 kcal per portion, 6g fat

INGREDIENTS
130g chickpeas
20ml olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon tahini
pinch salt
pinch pepper
2.5ml to 5ml water - optional

METHOD
- Throw everything into a food processor and whizz
- If you don't have a processor, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher then mix the other ingredients through.
- If your hummus is too thick, you can thin it down with a drop of water.