Saturday, December 12, 2020

North African Squash and Chickpea Stew

This was from one of the Saturday evening cooking sessions for KINDsoups.  This is absolutely delicious.  It is very rich and thick and the combination of cinnamon, ginger and turmeric with the fresh herbs is just amazing.  Definitely a keeper!  Photo 12/12/2020.

On Saturday Dec 12th we will be cooking North African Squash and Chickpea Stew together, led by Chef Marissa and Chef Danielle. Please join us via Zoom as we cook together, enough for our own family’s dinner, plus enough to freeze and deliver meals for others, so that they too can enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal! Recipe and shopping list will be available on the Monday prior to each cook together event beginning Saturday at 5pm. (you are free to cook whenever you’d like if our Zoom time is not convenient for you)  

North African Squash and Chickpea Stew

This richly spiced combination of squash, tomatoes and pulses is based around a traditional Moroccan recipe, harira. That dish is actually a soup but, whenever I make it, I find myself veering towards such a thick and chunky texture that ‘stew’ seems a more appropriate description. It hardly matters – it’s a delicious, belly-filling, one-pot dish.

Servings  18

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 large onions, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1.5 cups red lentils
  • 3 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 28 oz can roasted tomatoes (whole, diced, or crushed is fine)
  • 3 good handfuls of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 large bunches of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 pounds butternut squash or pumpkin (store pre-chopped is fine!)
  • 3.5 liters (about 15 cups) vegetable stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup uncooked vermicelli, orzo or other small pasta

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until just starting to turn golden. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic, celery, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Now add the lentils, chickpeas, canned tomatoes, parsley and about half the cilantro. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and deseed the squash or pumpkin and cut into large cubes. Add to the pan with the stock and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer until it is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, scattered with the remaining cilantro leaves. 

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