Stewed Chick Peas with Tomatoes and Zucchini
Servings: 6
Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell. Think ahead - dried chick peas must soak overnight. Canned chick peas work too; start at the stew. The older it gets, the better it tastes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chickpea, dried, soaked overnight
- 1 Onion, large, half cut into 1/2-inch dice and half left whole
- 1 Carrot, peeled
- 1 rib Celery
- 4 clove Garlic, 2 whole, 2 smashed and finely chopped
- 2 Bay leaf
- 1 bunch Thyme, bundle
- Kosher salt
- Olive oil, extra-virgin
- 1 pinch Red pepper flakes, crushed
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds, coarsely ground
- 1 tsp Fennel seed, coarsely ground
- 3 Tomato, beefsteak, 1/2-inch dice, seeds and juices reserved
- 2 Zucchini, large, green part only, 1/2-inch dice
Directions
- Beans: put the chick peas, diced onion, carrot, celery, whole garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Don't salt yet; it can keep the beans from cooking and toughen or split the skins.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer 1 hour. Do the "5 bean" test - bite 5 beans; if they aren't all done, cook 10 to 15 minutes more and test again.
- Turn off the heat and season the water abundantly with salt. Let the beans sit 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the vegetables and herbs, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain.
- Stew (start it while the beans cook): coat a large wide pot with olive oil and add the whole half onion, salt, red pepper, cumin and fennel. Cook over medium heat until the spices are very aromatic and the onion soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and zucchini, season and taste (it will need adjusting). Cook about 15 minutes.
- Add the chick peas and reserved cooking water and simmer until the water has evaporated and it looks like a stew, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
A reviewer's shortcut: 2 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed, with the thyme and bay leaf added to the onions and chicken broth instead of bean water. Leftovers with more broth, cumin and chicken make a good soup.