Chickpea and Tomato Stew -- The New Crockpot Adventures Continue

Last week I needed 2 cups of chickpeas to make hummus. So, I cooked up an entire pot of chickpeas -- because although not difficult, it does take time -- and then apportioned the extra chickpeas into separate packages and froze them. So, today, I just grabbed a package marked '3 cups of chickpeas' out of the freezer, and was ready to rock and roll. What, you might ask, do chickpeas have to do with rock and roll? Not much, I have to admit. And as a further non sequitur, I would adjure you to pretty much label everything you put in your freezer, with the contents, the quantity (if not immediately obvious), and the date. You would be amazed how quickly one forgets ... And then it's freezer roulette for dinner again. Which is kind of fun when you are bach-ing it, but could be hell to pay if you are cooking for your family.

Today, I decided, was the day to make another crock pot concoction. I was in the mood for something in the tomato and chickpea vein, and am very pleased with the resulting crockpot stew.

I found some very nice organic romas at the super-market. Romas tend to be my cooking tomato of choice. If you don't mind a little extra liquid, you can certainly go with a different type of tomato.

Aside from that, I pretty much went with my pantry and freezer standards -- some onion, garlic, carrots and celery for base flavours, some sweet potato for balance of sweetness with the acidity of the tomato, and some green peas for colour at the end. 

This is exactly the kind of dish that goes beautifully with a hunk of freshly baked bread. However, a bed of quinoa and amaranth would work wonderfully with this as a topper. Or enjoy by itself!

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 tbsp finely minced garlic

3/4 cup finely chopped onion -- red or white is fine

1 1/2 cups diced carrots

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1/2 tbsp sea salt

4 cups chopped tomatoes ( 1 1/2 lbs)

1/2 tbsp sea salt

1/2 tbsp marjoram

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tbsp marjoram

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned, well rinsed)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup diced sweet potato (asian if available)

1 cup frozen organic green peas (defrosted from frozen)

directions:

1. turn on the crockpot, set it to high, set the timer for 6 hours, and put the coconut oil in the bottom

2. add the garlic and onion, then layer the celery and carrot on top, and sprinkle 1/2 tbps sea salt on top of that

3. layer the tomatoes, and sprinkle 1/2 tbsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tbsp marjoram on top

4. layer on the chickpeas, and sprinkle  1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder

5. close the lid and let it cook

6. after about 3 hours, layer the sweet potato on top

7. after about 5 hours, stir the whole thing to combine, and allow to cook for one more hour

8. when the stew is fully cooked, turn off the heat, and add the green peas, stirring to fully combine.

I really like the simple flavours of this stew. It has all the charm of comfort food, with a sweet and zesty richness.

If you have a big crockpot like mine, you can double the recipe, and freeze some of the result in portions that can be easily defrosted for quick meals. (Freeze those portions well labelled, of course.) ;) Or you can just invite a lot of people over to eat. Throw a couple loaves of bread in to bake, and everyone will bow down and worship the ground you walk on. However, if you are not actually thinking of starting your own cult, then the freezer might be a better option.

YUM!

There is some kind of alchemy that happens with tomato-based dishes of this ilk -- that is, soups and stews, primarily. It takes between 24 and 48 hours once the dish has been cooked, but it becomes more than the sum of its parts. I just had this for lunch today, and it was ... one of the best things I've ever eaten. True story.