I have a bone to pick with this summer, and for once it has nothing to do with the weather, which has been downright comfortable since June. The issue is that given the number of balls I am juggling, between work, and more work, and trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing with my life, I have hardly had a moment to enjoy the sunshine, or go to the beach, or watch movies in the park, or eat food out of trucks while standing in a mob of hipsters, or any of the other standard activities that summer in New York entails. To be honest, it’s as if it’s not even happening.
As a result, cooking anything with my own hands during the week has been a challenge, to say the least, and actually generally impossible. When faced with the hard choices like picking up my dry cleaning, getting a much needed haircut, sleeping a full 6 hours, feeling the sun on my pale office skin, or cooking a homemade weeknight meal, somehow that last choice isn’t usually the frontrunner.
But sometimes making something is actually just what I need to do to clear my head and get back on track, and this spicy, creamy and surprisingly bright chickpea stew came to my rescue on one such Wednesday. For a dish with such complexity, it requires not much more than a can of coconut milk, a tube of harissa, a couple of potatoes and some chickpeas. Simmered together, these humble ingredients really become something special, and a squeeze of lemon brightens up the whole pot, so that even though it’s hot (temperature) and hot (spicy), it still manages to be light and summery. Grill up some French bread for dipping and there’s nothing else between you and a delicious weeknight summer stew.
Note: Taste your harissa before a full tablespoon goes into the dish. You can always put more in, but you can't take it out, and different brands vary in spiciness. If you put too much in and regret it, you can add a bit more coconut milk to balance.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed and halved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise (I used halved golden new potatoes)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, garlic, ginger and harissa and cook, stirring, until the harissa darkens, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the stew with the cilantro and serve with toasted bread.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/08/12/chickpea-vegetable-stew/
August 23, 2014 at 7:05 pm
This sounds so good! But, since I can’t eat chickpeas, could you recommend a different bean or something I could substitute the chickpeas with?
August 25, 2014 at 2:33 am
Rebecca, I think canned kidney beans might work here as well. It doesn’t cook for very long so any hearty canned bean will probably hold up without disintegrating…
September 5, 2014 at 12:27 am
This dish looks absolutely glorious. I adore using chickpeas, but had never thought about whacking them in a great big stew – what a fantastic idea! If you have a minute, I’d love your thoughts on my chickpea dish 🙂 http://goodfoodmarsh.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/vegan-bonanaza-vegan-mofo-3/