Best Stewed Chickpeas Recipes

STEWED CHICKPEAS AND CALAMARI

Steps:

• Quick soak the chickpeas by putting them into a large heavy bottomed pot and covering them with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes; remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the chickpeas and return them to the pot. Cover them with fresh water by about 2-inches, add 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the beans until they are tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.
• Clean out the pot and put it back on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil and cook the onion, garlic, chili, thyme, and bay leaves until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Hand-crush the tomatoes and add them with their juice to the pot along with 1 cup of water. Add the chickpeas, roasted peppers, and calamari and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down and simmer until all the flavors have blended and the calamari is tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve in small dishes with a drizzle of olive oil.

STEWED CHICKPEAS WITH TOMATOES AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Beans: In a large pot, combine the beans, the whole half onion, carrot, celery, whole garlic cloves, bay leaves and thyme bundle. Fill the pot with water to cover the surface of the beans by 2 inches. DO NOT add salt here! Adding salt at this point can prevent the beans from cooking and make the skins of the beans tough or make them break. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour and then do the "5 bean" test. Bite 5 beans, if they are all properly cooked, continue on, if not cook the beans for another 10 to 15 minutes and try again.
• When the beans are cooked, turn off the heat and season the water abundantly with salt. This will allow the beans to absorb seasoning without making the skins tough. Let the beans sit in the salted water for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Reserve 1 cup of bean cooking water, strain the beans and set aside.
• Stew: (This can be started while the chickpeas are cooking! Multitasking! Woohoo!)
• Coat a large wide pot with olive oil, then add the diced onions, salt, to taste, crushed red pepper, ground cumin and fennel seeds. Bring the oil to a medium heat and cook the spices until they are very aromatic and the onions are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the 2 smashed garlic cloves and cook another 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, and zucchini. Season with salt and taste, adjust the seasoning if needed (it will). Cook the tomato-zucchini mixture for about 15 minutes. Add in the cooked chickpeas and reserved bean cooking water and simmer until all the bean water has evaporated and the mixture looks like a stew, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the stew to a serving bowl and serve immediately or at room temperature.
• Hey chickpea!

STEWED CHICKPEAS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• For the chickpeas: In a large pot, combine the soaked chickpeas, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme bundle. Fill the pot with water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer (BTB, RTS), and cook for about 1 hour. Do the 5-bean test: Bite into 5 beans; if they are all properly cooked, carry on. If not, cook the beans for another 10 to 15 minutes and try again. Remember, beans cook at different rates, so you need to check a few to make sure they're really done!
• When the beans are cooked, turn off the heat and season the water generously with salt. TASTE the water to be sure it is adequately seasoned. Let the beans sit in the salty water for 15 to 20 minutes to absorb some of the salty flavor. Remove the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme bundle and discard. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, strain the beans, and set aside.
• For the stew: You can start this part while the beans are cooking: Coat a large wide pot with olive oil, toss in the onions, and season with salt and the crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook until the onions are soft and very aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Toss in the diced squash, cumin, fennel, tomatoes, and the reserved bean water (if you forgot to save the bean water, tap water is fine). Stir to combine, taste, and season with salt if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer (BTB, RTS). Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the squash is cooked through. Add another cup of water if the liquid has evaporated too much.
• Toss in the reserved chickpeas and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture is thick and stewlike. Serve hot or at room temp, garnished with chives.

STEWED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat half the olive oil. When warm add in the diced eggplant and cook until lightly browned. When browned, place in a colander over a bowl and allow to stand while preparing the rest of the dish.
• In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and add in onions, garlic, peppers and chilies. Fry unil softened. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook and stir until mixture develops a sauce consistency, adding a touch of water as needed.
• Stir in the drained chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Stir in browned eggplant and cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and chopped cilantro and enjoy.