Recipe Spicy Tomatoes and Chickpeas

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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January this year is a month to eat out of the store cupboards and pantry .we simply have too much in them and it is the best way of clearing space, so this is the first of my meals from the cupboards (and fridge/freezer).

To this end, I've settled for an easy, quick but tasty dish made from chickpeas and tomatoes, plus a whole load of spices .

The dish can be made from either dried chickpeas or tinned chickpeas. Due to a number of reasons, I settled for tinned on this occasion but if you use dried chickpeas ,cook them by your preferred method, retaining a touch of the cooking water. Add several cloves of minced garlic and a 1/4tsp turmeric to the cooking water if you'd like to add more flavour.

Ingredients
2 cups of dried chickpeas cooked or 2 tins of chickpeas, drained
1 cup reserved aquafaba (liquid from the tinned chickpeas or cooking liquid)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tin crushed or diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato paste (optional)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves
1-2 bay leaves
1 10-15cm stick of cinnamon, halved
2 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, freshly ground
1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tbsp sugar (optional but recommended)

Method
  1. Heat the olive oil in a suitable saucepan and when hot, add the cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, cumin seeds and garlic. Stir so all is coated in oil.
  2. Continue stirring until the spices become fragrant, then quickly add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring well.
  3. Add the chopped parsley, and continue to cook until the onions are translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
  4. Once the onion is translucent, add the tomatos, aquafaba, tomato puree/concentrate if using, ground pepper and ground coriander. Stir well and bring back to a simmer.
  5. Now add the chickpeas , bring back to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the mixture starts to dry out.
  6. Finally add the salt to taste, then the sugar and mix well adding more water if it is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. You want a reasonably thick sauce, thicker if you are serving the dish to eat by itself and slightly thinner of you are serving it over rice.
 
I had a craving for chickpeas today for some reason! This sounds like a good way to satisfy the craving.

I just noticed the (optional) sugar - that is quite a lot and I was surprised. Not against it necessarily though.
 
Last edited:
I just noticed the (optional) sugar - that is quite a lot and I was surprised. Not against it necessarily though.
I put around 1tbsp in mine (demera because it was on hand). The mixture was surprisingly tart on this occasion. I think I put a touch more tomato paste in which needed a little more sugar adding to it, plus the quantity of black pepper was a little more than I'd usually add (and mine was freshly ground in the spice grinder so a fine powder as well).
 
Don't know which of these pictures looks better. My tablet is struggling with life nowadays (it's well over 4 years old and one corner is broken which isn't helping matters ). Hubby didn't know it was up for a photo. I should also mention and will go back and edit the OP, that this serves 4 with rice .

One picture is taken with AWB, and the other with indoor lighting . I often feel I need something In-between!


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