I don't know if the same thing will happen to you, but there are days when I feel like a lot of spoon dishes, stews with a lot of flavor... Although I don't always have all the time I would like to carry them out. Today I bring you one of those recipes that not only make us enjoy while we taste it, but it is done in a jiffy. A chickpea stew with vegetables and harissa that you can have ready in less than 30 minutes.
How are you staying? I know, checkered. And look, I was the "anti-fast cooker" woman, but nothing like giving these utensils a chance that make our lives much easier. This does not mean that I do not like stews made over low heat, quite the opposite, they fascinate me. But I must admit that there are weeks that no matter how much I want to reach everything, it is not possible for me.
For those crazy seasons that we all have, I recommend you try this wonder that will surprise you a lot in terms of flavor and textures. In addition, it is a recipe that we can make suitable for vegans if we use vegetable broth and change the Greek yogurt for vegetable yogurt.
Where does the magic of this dish lie? Certainly, the whole set is a success, but for those of you who do not know harissa , allow me to introduce you to one of the ingredients that will no longer be missing in your pantry.
What is harissa?
Harissa is a chili paste native to Tunisia . Chili peppers arrived in Tunisia during the Spanish occupation in the 16th century and, from that moment, they began to play an important role in its gastronomy.
In fact, it is considered one of the main Tunisian condiments, since it is used in a large part of its preparations such as stews and soups or to season meat and vegetables.
The word harissa comes from Arabic and means “ to break into pieces ” or “ to hit ”.
The process of making harissa paste can vary depending on the region where it is made. The base of this paste consists of chili peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil . From here, you can add other elements that provide a lot of aroma and flavor such as cumin, cilantro, onion, tomato... You can even add smoked chilies to provide a more intense and pleasant aroma.
This chili paste is also used in cooking in the Middle East, Israel, and Morocco.
Carrying out chickpea stew with vegetables and harissa.
As I mentioned above, this recipe will not take us more than 30 minutes to have it ready to enjoy it. Many times, if we organize ourselves well and use kitchen utensils such as a pressure cooker, we can enjoy wonderful, healthy recipes, investing little time in the process.
We will have the chickpeas cooked in 12-15 minutes depending on their size. In my case I have used the same pressure cooker to sauté the vegetables, but if you want to get ahead of the work, you can sauté them in a separate pan while the chickpeas are cooking.
Once we have this ready, we will only have to add everything in the pressure cooker and… 5 minutes of cooking! While we set the table and prepare something else, we will have this incredible stew prepared. What I was telling you, there are no more excuses for eating well;)
Ingredients for 4 servings
For the chickpea stew:
- 400 g Pedrosillanos chickpeas, cooked (approximately 160 g dry chickpeas)
- 1 large sweet onion, cut into chunks
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 eggplant, cut into about 2.5cm cubes, skin on
- 1 red bell pepper (roasting kind), cut into large chunks
- 300 g baby potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
- 250 g homemade tomato sauce ( recipe at this link )
- 750 g chicken and vegetable broth
- 3-4 teaspoons harissa
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- pinch ground cinnamon, about ⅛ teaspoon
- 2 dried curry leaves (if you have fresh, the better)
- 10 dried apricots
- juice of half a large lime
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- mild olive oil
At your service:
- unsweetened Greek yogurt or crème fraîche
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- avocado slices
Elaboration
We prepare the chickpeas.
- Fill a large bowl with water and place the chickpeas inside along with a pinch of salt. Leave to soak overnight, the ideal time would be 8-10 hours .
- The next day, drain very well and wash with plenty of cold water. Booking.
- In the WMF Perfect Premium pressure cooker , cook the chickpeas with enough water to cover them without exceeding the maximum quantity mark that we can see inside the pot.
- Close the lid of the pot, turn the lid wheel to position 2 and place on high heat.
- Once the cooking ring rises to the first green ring, set the timer and cook for 12 minutes . It is important to check during cooking that the green ring does not go up or down, it must remain in that position.
- Once the cooking time is complete, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat source.
- Release the steam and open the lid.
- Pour over a strainer, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
- We booked.
We saute the vegetables.
- In the same WMF Perfect Premium pressure cooker , add a good splash of olive oil, enough to generously cover the base.
- Place over medium heat and allow to warm up.
- Add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, which we will crush with the side of a knife, and fry for another 5 minutes. It should not acquire a very golden or toasted hue.
- Add the red pepper together with the aubergine, a little salt and black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables acquire a slightly tender texture, but not excessively.
We finished cooking the chickpea and harissa stew.
- Add the quartered or halved baby legs, depending on their size, along with the harissa , tomato sauce, spices, and broth.
- Put the lid on the pot, turn the lid wheel to position 1 and place on high heat.
- Once the cooking ring rises to the first green ring, set the timer and cook for 5 minutes . It is important to check during cooking that the green ring does not go up or down, it must remain in that position.
- Once the cooking time is complete, remove momentarily from the heat. Release the steam and open the lid. Check that the potatoes are tender and, if not, leave it in the heat for 2 more minutes (in my case it took exactly 5 minutes).
- Add the cooked chickpeas together with the chopped dried apricots and the lime juice, stir lightly and leave over low heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes . Taste and rectify salt or spices if necessary.
We serve.
- With the help of a ladle , we serve the chickpea and harissa stew in deep plates or bowls. In my case, I have used these plates from Revol .
- Accompany with a little unsweetened Greek yogurt or crème fraîche. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and a few slices of avocado.
- We serve right away.
Grades
- In my case I have used the Pedrosillanos variety of chickpeas , it is possible that a larger caliber chickpea requires a longer cooking time, around 15 minutes. The ideal is to check their tenderness to prevent them from overcooking.
- It is important and necessary to soak the chickpeas overnight to soften them and reduce cooking time. In addition, in this way it allows to activate the enzymatic activity, making them much easier to digest.
- In the Salmon Moqueca recipe , I left you how to make a wonderful tomato sauce. In my case I have used that recipe, but you can use the one you normally make at home.
- The broth that we use can be chicken and vegetables, or only vegetables if we prefer. I always recommend using homemade broth, but if this is not possible, you can use purchased broth.
- I advise you not to omit the harissa paste , it provides a wonderful point of spiciness, as well as an incredible flavor.
- In these types of stews, I like to keep the skin of the aubergines , but you can remove it if you wish.
- Baby potatoes provide a wonderful texture , nothing to do with normal potatoes. In addition to not being necessary to remove the skin thanks to the fact that it is very fine and pleasant to eat.
- If you don't like any of the spices, you can omit it , although I advise you to keep them whenever possible.
- The dried apricots can be omitted or replaced by another dry fruit , such as dried plums.
- We can keep it refrigerated and in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I do not advise you to freeze it due to the presence of potato, this ingredient does not support the freezing process well.
As you will already put, I am looking forward to seeing your photos with this Chickpea and vegetable stew with harissa . I give you my word that it will surprise you. In addition, we can serve it as a main dish, a single dish or to accompany some other preparation.
