BEST WINTER STEW…..

Last week, I did a cooking demonstration for the City of Escondio, in Southern California.

The City of Escondido has a Wellness Committee with about 20 members, their mission is to emphasis and discuss about actions for a better and healthy living, they meet once a month.

For this month activity, they have chosen a cooking demonstration/ lunch, and I was contacted to perform for this event.

So I packed all my cooking equipment and ingredients and headed to Escondido.

The menu I was cooking in front of an audience was a fast and easy kind of stew. It is full of exotic flavors ( coconut milk, ginger, turmeric, spices, mint, yogurt…) . It is filling, very comforting, smoothing.

The weather was pretty chilly and rainy that week. This stew was well received and appreciated.

Here is the recipe, you can adapt the way you want or like, serve with Basmati rice, or just plain, add more broth and this can be a beautiful winter soup. See my note at the end of recipe for a twist using tofu and mushroom instead of sweet potato and kale. Also approved and tested with my family.

Chickpeas and kale stew ( vegetarian)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

3 garlic cloves peeled and pressed

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and  finely chopped

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon Espelette piment or  red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans  coconut milk

2 cups vegetable broth

1 medium cooked white sweet potato, cut into medium pieces.

1 bunch of Italian kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces

Fresh mint and/or cilantro leaves, for serving

5% Fage full-fat greek yogurt or labney yogurt

Zaatar spices-( highly recommended)

Greek  pita, for serving (optional) or cooked basmati rice

Heat the oil in a dutch oven pan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger. Season with a big pinch of sea salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add garlic, and mix well.

Add turmeric, piment and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they’ve started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove about a ½ cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.

Using potato smasher crush the remaining chickpeas slightly \

Add the coconut milk and stock to the dutch oven , and season with more salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened and flavors have started to come together, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to taste as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Add the cooked sweet potato

Add the greens and stir, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Cook a few minutes so they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes,

Season again with more salt and pepper.

Assemble:

• Divide among bowls and top a large spoon of yogurt, some mint, reserved crispy chickpeas, z’aatar spices, a sprinkle of Espelette piment , some turmeric and serve with pita.

Note: I made also a similar stew but using cremini mushrooms instead of kale ( mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil before added to the stew) and also toasted tofu ( sauteed in olive oil) was also added to the stew