From LA to East Molesey via Spain and Walton on Thames. Chickpea stew with tomato, turmeric, yoghurt and harissa.

This recipe is from the Gjelina cookbook ‘Cooking from Venice’. The Venice it refers to is not the one with the canals and the Doge’s Palace but the one of surfers and skateboarders in California. We were there recently and had a lovely breakfast with Gus, Joe and Stephanie. For me this California cooking at its best; relaxed, great ingredients and food that unashamedly steals from the best of the rest of the world and then turns it out with LA style.

I was lucky enough to receive the fabulous cookery book as a Xmas present and I can already tell it will be a firm favourite.

The recipe below is a bit of a cheat on the original 

A. I have used jarred chickpeas; for two reasons; firstly because It is just way less hassle but secondly because I think that these jarred Spanish chickpeas (courtesy of the lovely Alio’s deli in Walton on Thames)are infinitely preferable.

B. I couldn’t get carrots at the deli so I improvised by using a fennel build and a sweet potato .. i think the guys at Gjelina would approve.

C. I used chard instead of Kale

The recipe has a few little tricks that are really good, particularly the blending of the chickpeas with some of the stock to give the stew more body but also the addition of the flavoured yoghurt and harissa which adds a lovely Middle Eastern vibe.

For all you veganuary folks it is also vegan, if you leave out the yoghurt of course!

Ingredients

1 jar of chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and cut into half moons (I used one sweet potato and one bulb of fennel)
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of dry white wine
4 cups of vegetable stock
1 bunch Tuscan kale, stemmed and cut into strips (2 inches, 5cm wide)
1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of harissa
1/3 cup of spiced yogurt (see recipe below)

Method

1. In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds just until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool. With a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind to a powder.
2. In a clean, large soup pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic; season with salt and pepper; and cook until the vegetables begin to soften and brown slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the powdered cumin mixture and the paprika, turmeric, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until quite fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, scraping the bottom of the pot frequently so that it does not burn, and cook until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan until reduced by more than half, 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, discard the bay leaf, and return to a simmer.
5. In a blender, combine 1 cup of the soup base with 2 cups of the cooked chickpeas and purée until smooth. Return the puréed beans to the soup pot. Throw the kale into the stew and cook until softened. Add the remaining cooked chickpeas and gently stir. Remove from the heat and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
6. Just before serving, adjust the salt and spike with the vinegar. Serve with a dollop of spiced yogurt and a drizzle of harissa.

Spiced Yogurt

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

¼ tsp of coriander seeds
¼ tsp of cumin seeds
1 cup of Greek-style yogurt
2 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantroblob:https://www.blogger.com/13bc444d-53ea-49a3-847b-b457c89fcbf9
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt
3 Tbsp of water, or as needed

Method

In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds just until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool before grinding to a powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

In a food processor, combine the yogurt with the ground coriander and cumin, cilantro, and mint. Process until the herbs are broken down and the yogurt is tinted green, about 5 seconds. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice and pulse just until incorporated. Taste and season with salt. Stir in the water, a little bit at a time, stopping when the yogurt is still thick but thin enough to drizzle from a spoon.

Over time, the lemon juice can cause the yogurt to break and lose its creamy texture, so make just a small amount and use it right away.