This next recipe comes from The Constables' Larder, a blog I came to know through Foodbuzz. I've become quite a fan of Giff & Lisl's blog & their way of cooking. So much of what they make strikes me as the good comforting kind of food we also like to make. When I saw this recipe last week I bookmarked it right away because it uses chickpeas which Matt really likes, it has a lot of cumin in it which is one of our favorite spices & it uses kale which we had received in our last CSA box.
This dish was warm & satisfying, exactly like we expected. The coconut milk & cumin made it taste & smell a lot like a curry to us. Matt liked a little more heat to it & added some Sriracha to his bowl. We stuck pretty closely to the recipe the way it was written except for a few things. First, we used canned chickpeas instead of dried which saved on cooking time. If we had used dried chickpeas they would have been cooked with garlic & since we skipped that step we added garlic to the stew itself. Secondly, we added smoked paprika to the stew, I went pretty light on it so we really didn't taste it much. Thirdly, we used flowering kale since its what we had, I think it worked well in the dish as it didn't go completely soggy. Finally, we finished the stew up on the stove with the lid off as we felt it was a little thin still after baking.
Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
from The Constable's Larder
1 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled & chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled & minced
1 medium red potatoes, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
25 leaves of flowering kale
14 oz can chickpeas, drained & well rinsed
14 oz coconut milk
1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
1 T tomato paste
1 T ground cumin
This dish was warm & satisfying, exactly like we expected. The coconut milk & cumin made it taste & smell a lot like a curry to us. Matt liked a little more heat to it & added some Sriracha to his bowl. We stuck pretty closely to the recipe the way it was written except for a few things. First, we used canned chickpeas instead of dried which saved on cooking time. If we had used dried chickpeas they would have been cooked with garlic & since we skipped that step we added garlic to the stew itself. Secondly, we added smoked paprika to the stew, I went pretty light on it so we really didn't taste it much. Thirdly, we used flowering kale since its what we had, I think it worked well in the dish as it didn't go completely soggy. Finally, we finished the stew up on the stove with the lid off as we felt it was a little thin still after baking.
Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
from The Constable's Larder
1 T olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled & chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled & minced
1 medium red potatoes, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
25 leaves of flowering kale
14 oz can chickpeas, drained & well rinsed
14 oz coconut milk
1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
1 T tomato paste
1 T ground cumin
1/4 t smoked paprika
1 t salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion & garlic & sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the potatoes & cook a few more minutes. Next add the cauliflower & thyme and let cook another couple minutes. Add the kale, chickpeas, coconut milk, broth, tomato paste, cumin, paprika & salt. Cover & place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven. If the the stew is thinner than you'd like simmer on the stove uncovered until it reduces a little. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir in a little red pepper flakes.
Serves 4
1 t salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion & garlic & sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the potatoes & cook a few more minutes. Next add the cauliflower & thyme and let cook another couple minutes. Add the kale, chickpeas, coconut milk, broth, tomato paste, cumin, paprika & salt. Cover & place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven. If the the stew is thinner than you'd like simmer on the stove uncovered until it reduces a little. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir in a little red pepper flakes.
Serves 4
Your stew looks fantastic! I love chickpeas!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a delicious comforting healthy meal.
ReplyDeleteSriracha sauce is an excellent idea. I would have pushed the heat on our version too except our 3 yr old was having some and she doesn't like "spicy" yet!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that yours was so thin. When I cooked it, the potatoes and chickpeas continue to absorb a lot and it really got quite thick. I wonder how much using canned chickpeas had to do with it (looks like I had more potato as well). Glad you were able to thin it down so it worked out in the end! Maybe I'll decrease broth amount on mine -- easy to add more as needed as you cook.
As I think about it, I wonder how much might have to do with different moisture levels in the cauliflower. Just puzzled because ours was anything but thin! But these things are always hard to duplicate exactly.
ReplyDeleteI've only used coconut milk in asian inspired dishes, so I'd love to try this out. Looks so hearty & comforting!
ReplyDeletechickpeas are running a close second to black beans as my favorite legume. excellent stew--i'd love some right now to help me battle this 20-degree frigidity. :)
ReplyDeleteI love cumin as well! And I've been wanting to cook more with coconut milk - this sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteAll hail chickpeas and having met Gif...a fine dude with good taste in food!
ReplyDelete