Smoky Veg & Chickpea Stew with Polenta

May 10, 2017

SMOKY VEG & CHICKPEA STEW WITH POLENTA
 
This delicious and slightly smoky and spicy chickpea and vegetable stew combines beautifully with polenta and is perfect for cooler weather.
Author:
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Vegan and Vegetarian
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chppped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped (don’t peel!)
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 aubergine, cubed
  • 4 large tomatoes (or 1 tin chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin/jeera
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander/dhania
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
  • 12 dates (or 5 large ones)
  • 1 cup polenta
  • 1 heaped tablespoon vegetable stock powder
  • 3 cups water
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Method
  1. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot and add the onion, red pepper and carrot. Sauté till the onions start to go translucent. Then add the garlic and aubergine and stir well to combine. Cover the pot with a lid and let the vegetables steam and soften for 5-10 minutes (keep an eye on them and keep stirring). If they start to stick – splash in some water.
  2. While this is happening – cut a cross into each tomato and place in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to sit in the water for a bit before you are able to easily peel off the skin. Discard the skin and then finely dice the flesh.
  3. Open the lid of the pot and sprinkle over the spices and stir until you smell the fragrance of the spices. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and allow the mixture to gently simmer.
  4. When you notice that the tomatoes have cooked down nicely – add the tomato purée. Stir at regular intervals and allow the vegetables to cook – should be about 10 minutes.
  5. While this is cooking – boil 3 cups of water in the kettle. Add to a pot and sprinkle in the vegetable stock and ½ teaspoon salt. Then pour in the polenta and continually stir to combine and prevent any lumps. Keep stirring at regular intervals – should be ready in 15 minutes.
  6. Then to your pot of vegetables add the rinsed chickpeas and chopped dates and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.
  7. Serve the chickpea stew on top of the polenta and garnish with parsley if preferred. Enjoy!
Notes
I made mine using fresh tomatoes but to save time I don’t see why you couldn’t try this dish with tinned tomatoes. If you do – please leave a comment for others.

 

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