Here’s a recipe that will make you feel warm and fuzzy, fill your heart with bliss and your body with a nurturing nutrition. This is a perfect one to make big batches of just so you can share it with unexpected guests or so you can be extremely creative with the leftovers.
We enjoyed this as a stew with some brown rice, but we might as well make it into a pasta sauce tomorrow or even blend it into a creamy soup, or just keep it as is for a quickly accessed dose of comfort food.
We were really lucky to be able to use some really delicious homegrown curly & dino kale from a friend’s garden. That was a blessing because you can really taste the difference when using produce that is freshly harvested. Absolutely delicious. Our advice: try to get ahold of garden goodies as much as you can, or grow your own! Kale in fact, is an all-year crop but is especially tasty when planted at this very moment as a winter crop.
WARMING CHICKPEA & KALE STEW (for 4-6 people)
- 2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or the same amount cooked if you are have some time)
- A large bunch of kale, de-stalked and chopped roughly.
- 6 chopped tomatoes or a nice prepared tomato sauce
- A small handful chopped sundried tomatoes
- 3 onions, chopped in half-moons
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2-3 chopped spring onions
- Some sprinkled organic feta (if you fancy a bit of tanginess, but it’s also tasty without)
DIRECTIONS
- Heat your pan and drizzle some olive oil all over the surface. When hot, drop the onions & garlic. Cook thoroughly in the oil for about 3 minutes (don’t let it burn). Once they have gotten transparent, add 1/2 cup of water and cook for about another 5 minutes until it has evaporated.
- Add the tomatoes and kale and mix well. If using just tomato sauce, you will only add it after the kale has cooked. Let the tomato and kale mixture cook (you can even cover your pan) for about 10 minutes. Check on it from time to time to make sure it’s not gluing to the pan, but at this point the kale will have wilted and the tomatoes will have melted pretty well, so you’ll reach an “almost sauce” consistency.
- Cook it for another 5 minutes while stirring from time to time. Now’s the time to start with the seasonings. Sprinkle the sugar, oregano, paprika, add salt and pepper as you wish. Give it a stir, taste it and see if you like it.
- Once you’re good with your seasonings, you can finally add the chickpeas. Stir them in and cook for another 3 minutes just to warm them up.
- When ready to serve, top with some chopped spring onions, perhaps maybe even some other toppings if you like. Why not crunchy onions?
I’m an onion freak, I know.
Enjoy by yourself while curled up in your blanket, or share with a lovely friend at your kitchen table. Autumn is just around the corner.