Italian Chickpea Stew
Italian Chickpea Stew
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Chickpea Stew
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cans (15oz) chickpeas, drained
- 4 cups onions, diced
- 2 1/2 cups plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup leek, diced
- 2 cup carrots, peeled, and diced
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated
- 1 cup porcini mushroom liquid
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chopped mixed olives, pitted
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, ground in mortar pestle
- 2 cups fennel bulb, chopped
- 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
- 2 sprigs oregano, chopped
Italian Couscous
- 1 cup Italian Couscous
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
Chickpea Stew
Start off by cooking the onions in the extra virgin olive oil, on low heat, until translucent and have reached a golden color.
Add leeks, fennel, carrots, and garlic and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato paste, and crushed fennel seeds and stir for 2 minutes until the vegetables are covered with the tomato paste
Add wine and let it cook on high heat until you start seeing a glaze on the vegetables about 5 minutes
Add the remaining vegetables porcini mushroom, tomatoes, chickpeas and mushroom liquid, and the herbs & spices rosemary, oregano and red pepper flakes
Taste and adjust seasoning
Stir everything together and let it simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes
Finish with olives and capers
Make sure you adjust the seasoning if needed.
Garnish with fresh basil
Italian Couscous
In a medium size pot, add vegetable stock and a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer
Throw the Italian couscous in and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed about 15-17 minutes
Take off the heat and fold in extra virgin olive oil, and parsley
Serve the chickpea stew on a bed of couscous. With a side of red wine this would be a perfect supper.