Chickpea stew with sweet onions

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1½ cup Dried chickpeas; picked over and rinsed; soaked overnight in ample water to cover
2 teaspoons Whole cumin seeds
1 cup Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Ground coriander seeds
2 teaspoons Sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon Saffron threads
1 pinch Crushed red pepper flakes (generous)
1 pinch Ground cinnamon (generous)
2 pounds Red; Bermuda, or Vidalia onions; peeled and thinly sliced (6-7 cups loosely packed)
1 cup Finely chopped fresh or canned (drained) Plum tomatoes
Salt to taste

Directions

Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 11:31:32 -0800 From: Judy.Mingram@... (Judy Mingram - SunSoft) This is a tested recipe from "Great Vegetarian Cooking under Pressure" by Lorna J. Sass. The recipe calls for a pressure cooker (thus the name!) but it can probably be adapted to standard stovetop cooking, just will take a lot longer. I used my pressure cooker and it came out great, kind of reminiscent of Indian food. According to the author, this recipe is from Tadzhikistan, a region in the former Soviet Union famous for having the largest and sweetest onions in the country. I have taken considerable liberties with the proportions, but all the traditional seasonings are included. This stew is delicious served in bowls on its own or over parsley or spinach fettuccine.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Set aside. Heat the cooker and cook the cumin seeds over medium-high heat just until they begin to pop, 5-10 seconds. Add the stock, coriander, paprika, saffron, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and reserved chickpeas. Set the onions on top of the chickpeas and the tomatoes on top of the onions. (Do not stir at this point.) Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally or use a quick-release method. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. If the chickpeas are not fairly tender (they should hold their shape but be quite soft), then return to high pressure for a few more minutes or replace (but do not lock) the lid and simmer until the chickpeas are done.

With a slotted spoon, transfer a cup of the chickpeas (and onions) to a food processor or blender, and puree. Stir the puree back into the stew to create a thick sauce. Add salt before serving. Serves 4-6.

FATFREE DIGEST V96 #72

From the Fatfree Vegetarian recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .

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