Chickpea Stew

This stew is inspired by two things. A Moroccan dish that makes chickpeas the star of the show and my passion for not wasting anything in my kitchen. As a matter of fact many of my large family's meals are often created because of what's laying around my kitchen waiting to be used, especially in the summer when our garden is gifting us with endless fresh veggies. That being said, when your cooking, especially stews like this one, don't be so legalistic. Make it your own and don't let lacking a specific ingredient or spice deter you. Improvise. Use what you have.

Some notes on the following recipe:

• In this dish I had fresh tomatoes that needed to be used, so that's what I added, however you can add a 24 ounce can of whole or chopped tomatoes as well.

• I also used dried chickpeas that I washed and soaked overnight and then boiled for 45-60 minutes in a pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt before preparing the stew. You can easily sub an equivalent amount of canned chickpeas, drained.

• I used chicken in this dish but you can easily sub a a different meat or omit it completely.

• I served this with a scoop of basmati rice but quinoa is also a great option

Ingredients :

• 2 Large chicken breasts

• 4 Cups of canned or prepared chickpeas ( preparation instruction for dried chickpeas is below)

• 1 Large sweet onion, diced

• 4-5 Stalks of celery,diced

• 8 Cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

• 2-3 Tomatoes chopped or any 24 ounce can of whole or diced tomatoes

• 1 Bell pepper

• 1 Jalepeno seeded, and diced (optional, but add it if you want a little heat)

• 4-6 Cups of chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 Teaspoon onion powder

• 1 Teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 Tablespoon paprika

• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley or a handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

• 1-2 Teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 Cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions for using dried chickpeas:

Rinse and soak 2 cups of dried chickpeas overnight by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with water that's several inches over the top of the chickpeas. Drain the water and place chickpeas in a large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt. Cover with water until the water is several inches over the chickpeas. Over a high heat, bring chickpeas to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a medium-low, cover, and allow chickpeas to cook 45-60 minutes. They will still be slightly firm and that is okay because they will finish cooking in the stew. Keep chickpeas in their cooking water and set aside until needed.

Instructions for stew:

1. Over a medium heat add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot. I used olive oil but any cooking oil will do.

2. Saute onions, celery, and garlic 3-4 minutes until slightly softened

3. Add chicken and sauté until no longer pink about 4 minutes

4. Add tomatoes, and peppers, sauté for 3-4 minutes

5. Add spices and herbs

6. Add chickpeas and enough chickpea water ( if you made the chickpeas from dried peas) to cover all the ingredients by several inches. If there's not enough water add broth as well. If using canned chickpeas drain peas and add them to the pot. Add enough broth to cover all the ingredients by several inches.

7. Over a medium heat bring stew to a boil

8. Once boiling reduce heat to a medium-low and allow to simmer until chickpeas are softened.

9. Check your stew occasionally and add broth as needed. While this dish could be served as soon as the chickpeas are fully cooked, I like to let this simmer at least a couple hours so the flavors are really absorbed and come together. The longer the better in my opinion! Don't forget to salt and pepper as you see fit!