This delicious winter stew with chickpeas and preserved lemon is a comforting and nourishing dish that is perfect for the colder months of the year. We discovered this recipe in the vegetarian cookbook “A Modern Way To Eat” written by Anna Jones. This book is filled with modern delicious easy to make vegetarian recipes for every day.
This hearty and flavourful chickpea stew can be enjoyed on its own or served with a side of bread or rice for a more filling meal. You can easily turn this strew into a hearty soup by adding another 400 milliliter of water and serve it with some fresh crusty bread on the side.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber, making them a popular choice for vegetarian and vegan dishes. They have a slightly firm and creamy texture when cooked, and can be used in a variety of dishes such as soups, stews, salads, and dips. Overall, chickpeas are a tasty and healthy ingredient that are well worth including in your cooking repertoire.
Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are a traditional ingredient in Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine. You don’t see them often in western cooking, but they are becoming a more and more used ingredient, we love them. They are made by packing lemon wedges in a mixture of salt, lemon juice, and sometimes spices, and then allowing them to cure for several weeks. The resulting lemons are soft and very flavorful, with a tangy, salty, and slightly sweet taste. Preserved lemons can be used in a variety of dishes, including stews, soups, salads, and sauces.
They add a unique and complex flavour to dishes, and are often used in place of fresh lemons or lemon zest. To use the lemons, you will typically only use the rind, as the flesh can be quite salty. The rind can be finely diced or minced and added to the dish. Some people also like to cut the rind into thin strips and use it as a garnish. You can buy these delicious lemons in specialty stores or online, we always just order them on amazon here, or they can be made at home by preserving fresh lemons in a salt and lemon juice mixture.
Chickpea and Preserved Lemon Stew
Ingredients
Ingredients For the Stew
- 1 Red Onion Peeled and finely sliced
- 2 Carrots Peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic Peeled and finely sliced
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes Tinned
- 400 g chickpeas Tinned
- ½ Veg Stock Cube
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 Preserved Lemon Halved and seed removed
- 1 Handful Raisins
- 100 g Giant Couscous
- 1 bunch Fresh Parsley Chopped
To Serve
- 5 strands saffron
- 4 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
- ½ clove Garlic Chopped Super-fine
- 4 handfull Rocket
- 1 handfull Pine Nuts Toasted
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and a good pinch of sea salt and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and sweet.
- Next, add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Fill both cans with water and a this to the pan too. And the stock cube, cinnamon stick, preserved lemon halves and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the tomato broth has thickened slightly and tastes wonderfully full and fragrant.
- Meanwhile, put the saffron in a bowl with a small splash of boiling water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add the yoghurt, garlic and a pinch of salt and mix it all well.
- Add the couscous and cook for another 10 minutes, just make sure you top up with a little extra water if necessary. We liked it more as a soup than a stew, if this would be your thing, just add another can of water.
- After 10 minutes the couscous should be cooked. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and scoop out the preserved lemon halves. Ladle the stew into bowls. Spoon in a good spoonful of saffron yoghurt and top generous with rocket leaves and a pile of toasted pine nuts.
1 comment
This Chickpea and Preserved Lemon Stew is one of my favorite vegetarian meals! So flavorful and filling.