Moroccan Chickpea & Spinach Stew

Sometimes a recipe and its list of ingredients immediately conjure up an image in your mind. When you hear Moroccan Chickpea and Spinach Stew and read the list of these ingredients the following contemplations can be invoked: rustic, earthy, flavorful, hearty and healthy. And then per chance you actually spend a few minutes and lovingly simmer together all these wonderful, easily accessible ingredients the results will exceed your expectations. Who doesn’t enjoy a kitchen experiment resulting in a hearty, healthy, flavorsome, one-pot meal that’s ready in a jiffy?

This stew combines protein rich chickpeas with spinach and tomatoes. They are simmered together in stock along with earthy and aromatic spices: cumin, cinnamon and cayenne. All you need with this is some crusty bread or toasted pita and you’ve created some delicious comfort food that’s sure to please all.

Moroccan Chickpea and Spinach Stew Recipe
Recipe adapted from Dave Liberman’s: Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup
Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cooking olive oil
1 cup red onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
4 cups of vegetable stock or reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika (See Note)
2 cups chickpeas, cooked (See Note)
1 cup tomatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 ½ cups of spinach, shredded, washed and drained
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Harissa sauce for topping (Optional)

Notes:

• Spanish Paprika is much milder that Kashmiri paprika. So add a little of whatever you are using and adjust per your taste.
• You can replace the cooked chickpeas with 2 (14.5 –ounce) cans of chickpeas. Make sure you rinse and drain the canned ones thoroughly.
• You can easily double the ingredients to make enough stew for 8-9 people.

Method:

1. In a medium Dutch oven on non-stick soup pot, heat the oil on medium heat. To this add the onion and garlic and cook stirring occasionally, until the onions have turned light brown. Be careful that the onions and garlic do not burn.
2. Now add the stock, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, paprika, chickpeas, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Make sure there is enough stock to cover the chickpeas. If you are a little short of the liquid add more stock or some water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 20 minutes until all the flavors blend well together.
3. Use a potato masher to mash up most of the chickpeas to get a stew consistency. Stir in the spinach and cook on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Adjust the seasonings. Ladle into bowls and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and top with the Harissa sauce if you are using it. Serve warm with crusty bread or toasted pita.

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