Make this when you want something warm, healthy and with minimum fuss. Exactly what you need after a long day. Ready in less than an hour and the perfect weeknight dinner.
Lentils & Chickpeas with Coconut – serves 8 (freeze leftovers for another day)
400ml tin of coconut milk
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g dried split lentils
400g tin chickpeas
a pinch of chilli flakes, to serve
coriander leaves, to serve
steamed basmati rice, to serve
Measure 60ml of the coconut milk and set aside for drizzling over at the end.
Melt the ghee or coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes, then add the spices and stir for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, the remaining coconut milk, 750ml of water, lentils and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, uncovered, sitrring occasionally. The lentils should be soft and creamy.
Serve over steamed rice with a drizzle of the coconut milk, a pinch of chilli flakes and some fresh coriander.
(Original recipe from RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi, Pan Macmillan, 2024.)
We love a lamb curry and this one uses lamb neck fillet which is a cut that doesn’t take too long to cook and is meltingly tender. Serve with steamed basmati rice.
Wine Suggestion: A juicy red with velvety tannins like Kilikanoon’s Covenant Shiraz which balances ripe plummy fruits with real elegance and finesse.
Lamb and Chickpea Curry – serves 4
1kg lamb neck fillet, cut into large chunks
3 tbsp veg oil
2 large onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
7.5cm piece of ginger, finely grated
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g tin chickpeas, drained
coriander leaves, to serve
Heat the oil in a a large casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for at least 10 minutes or until softened and turning deep golden brown.
Turn the heat down a bit and add the garlic and ginger. Stir for 2 minutes, then add the whole and ground spices and the salt. Cook for another 2 minutes before stirring in the the tomato purée and cooking for 2 minutes more.
Add the lamb with 250ml water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and stir. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, stirring every 10 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and cook for another 15 minutes or until the lamb is very tender. Season to taste.
Serve with steamed rice and the coriander sprinkled over.
(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024.)
This is very much a weeknight dish but it’s suprisingly good. Baking in a bag means very few dishes to wash which always helps. Serve with a green salad.
Wine Suggestion: try to find a good Vermentino with a medium body, not the richer ones with higher alcohol like you sometimes find from Sardinia and similar. A favoured one at the moment is Domaine Ventenac’s “les Dissidents” Cassandre from Cabardes in southern France.
Baked salmon with harissa and chickpeas – serves 2
1 unwaxed lemon
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp clear honey
3 tsp harissa paste
150g roasted red peppers from a jar, sliced
15g coriander, roughly chopped
2 salmon fillets, skinned
1 tsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
Tear off 2 large sheets of baking paper.
Halve the lemon and cut one half into thin slices.
Toss the drained chickpeas with the smoked paprika, honey, 1 tsp of the harissa paste, the peppers, most of the coriander and seasoning, then divide this between the two sheets of paper.
Season the salmon and spread each piece with 1 tsp of harissa, then place on top of the chickpeas and drizzle with the olive oil. Place the lemon slices on top, then fold over the edges to seal the parcels.
Put the parcels onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked. Open the parcels and scatter over the rest of the coriander, then serve with some salad on the side.
(Original recipe by Tom Mitchell-Dawson in Sainsbury’s Magazine, September 2023.)
Our favourite vegetarian cookbook at the moment is East by Meera Sodha. This is an Indian main course dish but it’s like a soup and works well as both a mid-week dinner, and in a flask for lunch the next day. Also vegan and gluten-free if this is useful information for you. Serve with crusty bread.
Black-eyed bean and chickpea usal – serves 4
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 long green chillies, very finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 large vine tomatoes, chopped
1¾ tsp salt
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 x 400g tin of black-eyed beans, drained
250g frozen peas, defrosted
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
200g mangetout
1 tbsp lemon juice
a handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion and chillies and cook for about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until they have broken down, then add the salt and spices and stiry-fry for another minute.
Stir in the black-eyed beans, peas, chickpeas and mangetout and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and coriander, then taste and season with more salt if needed.
(Original recipe from East by Meera Sodha, Penguin, 2019.)
This is delicious and you can prep it all in advance. If you like you can cook for the initial 1 hour and 15 minutes earlier in the day, then bring back to a simmer before adding the chickpeas and dates and putting back into the oven for the final 40 minutes.
Wine Suggestion: We think juicy, but elegant Shiraz from the Clare Valley is hard to beat with lamb and warm spices so we opened Killikanoon’s Killerman’s Run Shiraz and enjoyed the delightful plum and sloe flavours with the elegant spicy tannins adding their own to the dish.
Lamb and chickpea tagine – serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
750g lamb neck, cut into chunks and seasoned well
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1 red onion, cut into wedges
400ml chicken stock, plus extra to make the couscous
400g tin cherry tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
8 medjool dates, pitted and halved
660g jar chickpeas, drained and rinsed
300g couscous
50g butter, diced
a large bunch of coriander, leaves picked and stems reserved for the spice paste
FOR THE SPICE PASTE:
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
a walnut-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
4 cloves, ground
4 allspice berries, ground
2 tsp mild chilli powder
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
a large bunch of coriander stalks, reserve the leaves to add at the end
Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
Put all of ingredients for the spice paste into a small food processor and whizz to a paste.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole and brown the lamb in batches until well browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the spice paste to the casserole and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the carrots, red onion, chicken stock, tinned tomatoes and cinnamon stick. Then stir in the browned lamb. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Stir in the dates and chickpeas and return to the oven for a further 40 minutes.
To make the couscous, put the couscous into a heatproof bowl and add the diced butter and some seasoning. Add enough just-boiled stock to cover, then cover the bowl with a plate or cling film and leave to steam for about 10 minutes. Fork through to separate the grains then stir some chopped coriander leaves. Scatter the rest of the chopped coriander leaves over the lamb and chickpeas before serving.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe, in Olive Magazine, January 2020.)
Well this is just delicious; we love bean chillies anyhow but this is a particularly good one. We are not vegan and so served this with sour cream. We’ve included the instructions for a vegan crème fraîche below if you prefer.
Wine Suggestion: For some reason we gravitate to American (both North & South) reds when eating chillies, and with the Wines of Argentina tasting in Dublin yesterday it was natural we’d open a Malbec. A star of the show, and definitely by no means the most expensive, the Altosur Malbec by Finca Sophenia in Gualtallary, Mendoza was our choice. And it seems like Decanter agrees with our choice too – Best in Show and Best Value in their World Wine Awards just announced. Bravo Finca Sophenia and perfect for our chilli.
Vegan chilli – serves 4-6
4 sweet potatoes, skins scrubbed
2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus a bit extra to rub on the potatoes
100g broccoli florets
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 red pepper, chopped
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
400g tin chickpeas, drianed and rinsed
100g fresh, frozen or tinned sweetcorn kernels
400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
sour cream or crème fraîche (or make the vegan crème fraîche below)
IF YOU WANT VEGAN CRÈME FRAÎCHE:
65g cashews soaked in 120ml water for 30 minutes, then drained
juice of ½ lemon
TO SERVE:
75g edamame beans
1 avocado, chopped
lime wedges
Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C.
Rub the sweet potatoes with a little bit of vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender.
Steam the broccoli until tender, then set aside.
If you want to make the vegan crème fraîche, put the soaked and drained cashews in a blender with the lemon juice. Season with salt and blitz to a cream.
Heat the oil in a large, deep pan, over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and spices and cook for a few minute or until softened. Add the red pepper and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chickpeas, sweetcorn, black beans and kidney beans. Season with salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If it starts to look dry, you can add a splash of water.
Add the steamed broccoli and mix to warm through.
Trim the ends off the sweet potatoes and cut them in half but not the whole way through. Spoon the chilli into the potatoes and top with some edamame beans and sour cream or crème fraîche, then serve with the avocado and lime wedges.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein at Home, BBC Books, 2021.)
This recipe comes from Chasing Smoke by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co. in London. This is hands-down the best hummus we’ve ever made (and we’ve made lots) and the crispy lamb belly (poached then finished over charcoal) is fatty but fabulous. It’s good with a simple salad (we went for cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions & Baby gem dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and sumac) and lots of warm pittas. You need to soak the chickpeas the night before.
Wine Suggestion: Anything with a hint of middle-eastern spices or warm sunshine. A Garnacha, or maybe a Tempranillo. Tonight the classic Massaya le Colombier from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. A lot has happened in this part of the world and we’re glad to support the friends we’ve met still trying to make great wine despite all the challenges. Well done Sami and Ramzi, bravo!
Crispy lamb on creamy hummus – serves 4 (generously)
FOR THE LAMB:
1 lamb breast on the bone, about 1.5kg
1 tbsp table salt
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 onions, quartered
1 litre of water
FOR THE HUMMUS:
200g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in lots of water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 tsp table salt
250g tahini paste
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lemon juice
TO SERVE:
a small handful of parsley, chopped
1 tsp biber chilli flakes (or Allepo)
pitta breads
salad (see suggestion above
Rub the lamb all over with the salt, cumin seeds and peppercorns, then leave in the fridge for a couple of hours. Put the lamb in a large pan with the onions and water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for about 1½ hours.
Make the hummus while the lamb is cooking. Drain the soaked chickpeas, then place in large saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then skim again.
Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Skim it really well this time then simmer for 30-40 minutes, skimming regularly, until the chickpeas are very soft – they should melt in your mouth.
Drain the chickpeas into a colander over a bowl so you can reserve the cooking liquid. You need to finish the hummus now while everything is still hot. Pour 250ml of the cooking liquid over the chickpeas and add the garlic. Now whizz using a stick blender or food processor until really smooth. It will be pretty thick at this stage but not to worry.
Add the salt, tahini, cumin and lemon juice and whizz again until well combined. Give it a taste and add more salt or lemon juice if you like. Cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming and set aside. It will be quite liquid but it will thicken as it cools.
Lift the lamb out of the cooking water, keep a few spoonfuls of liquid for serving. The meat should be completely soft and easy to pull from the bones. Carefully (so it doesn’t fall apart altogether) lift it onto a hot charcoal barbecue and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn it over and cook for 10 minutes on the other side. You need to do this over indirect heat or it will burn or catch fire as there is a lot of fat.
To cook over indirect heat pile the charcoal to one side and with the lid on cook the meat on the other side. Despite no direct flames underneath the meat cooks a treat – slower, but no less effectively.
Take the cooked meat off onto a chopping board and shred it with two forks – like crispy duck.
Spread the hummus on a serving platter and top with the lamb and a drizzle of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and chilli flakes and serve with lots of pitta and a salad if you like.
(Original recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking over fire around the Levant by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, Pavilion, 2021.)
A recipe by Rachel Roddy; simple and filling. Keep your Parmesan rinds in the freezer for adding to soups like this.
Pasta & Chickpea Soup – serves 4
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp tomato purée
a sprig of rosemary
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
a Parmesan rind (optional)
225g short tubular pasta e.g. tubetti or ditalini or broken tagliatelle
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, then add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, then cook gently until soft and fragrant.
Add the tomato purée and sprig of rosemary, stir and cook for a few minutes, then stir in the chickpeas. Add 1 litre of hot water, a pinch of salt and the Parmesan rind, then stir again. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove half the soup and pass through a food mill or blend with a stick blender until smooth, then return to the pan. Season to taste with salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender, the pack timings should work but do check as you go and keep stirring. You add a bit more boiling water if needed. Season again to taste then serve garnished with your favourite olive oil.
(Original recipe from Five Quarters: Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome by Rachel Roddy, Salt Yard Book Co., 2015.)
We had this for a main course but you could also have it as a side. Plus it tastes fab at room temperature for lunch the next day.
Wine Suggestion: Perfect with a youthful, oaked Chardonnay like the one we had to hand from Rustenberg in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Baked pumpkin with roasted garlic chickpea purée – serves 6
1kg pumpkin (our favourite is crown prince), remove the seeds and cut into 6 wedges, leave the skin on
4 cloves of garlic
10 sprigs of rosemary
8 bushy sprigs of thyme
75g butter
10g flatleaf parsley leaves
1 tsp pink peppercorns
FOR THE CHICKPEA PURÉE:
2 x 400g tins chickpeas
1 small lemon, juiced
150ml olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Lightly oil a baking tray and lay the pumpkin wedges in a single layer. Tuck in the cloves of garlic. Season with salt and black pepper and add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and dot the butter over, then roast for 45 minutes or until golden-brown and soft.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then bring to the boil in plenty of water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until heated through.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into the bowl of a food processor. Drain and add the hot chickpeas and the lemon juice. Whizz, while gradually pouring in the olive oil, until you have a soft creamy texture.
Chop the parsley, then mix with the pink peppercorns and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Spoon the purée onto a serving dish, arrange the pumpkin on top, then scatter over the parsley and peppercorns.
(Original recipe from A Cook’s Book by Nigel Slater, 4th Estate, 2021.)
A simple pasta dish with fantastic flavours. It looks veggie but actually contains anchovies and chicken stock. If you’re not bothered by those it’s a definite winner!
Conchiglie with chickpeas and za’atar – serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
a small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
10g thyme leaves, finely chopped
25g anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
1 lemon, finely shave off a piece of the skin of half, then squeeze to get 2 tbsp of juice
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
1 tsp soft brown sugar
400ml chicken stock
200g conchiglie pasta (or gigli or orecchiette)
50g baby spinach
15g parsley, roughly chopped
1 ½ tsp za’atar
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan until hot, then add the onion, garlic, cumin, thyme, anchovies, lemon skin, ½ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chickpeas and sugar. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chickpeas start to brown and turn crispy. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and simmer for 6 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the timings on the pack, then drain.
Stir the spinach and parsley into the chickpeas, if it doesn’t wilt you can warm the chickpeas through again gently. Add the pasta to the pan of chickpeas and stir to combine. Divide between bowls, then sprinkle with the za’atar and drizzle with olive oil.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)
This chicken dish is from OTK Shelf Love and is absolutely delicous; your kitchen will smell amazing. We had to try a few shops before we found the berbere spice, but it’s easily found online and worth the hunt. Out of interest this spice is integral to Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking and has a fiery, warm character that we now love. We served with roast Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts but any greens would be good.
45g fresh coriander, separate the stocks and leaves and roughtly chop both
2½ tbsp berbere spice
2 tbsp tomato purée
2½ tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
800g carrots, peeled and cut into 4-5cm lengths
2 tins of chickpeas, drained
8 chicken thighs
2-3 oranges, leave one whole and juice the rest to get 100ml
Heat the oven to 200C fan.
Put the onion, garlic, coriander stalks, berbere spice, tomato purée, honey, 1 tbsp of vinegar, 4 tbsp of oil, 1¾ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Put the mixture into a large roasting tin with the carrots, chickpeas, chicken thighs, orange juice and 150ml of water, then toss to combine.
Arrange the thighs so they are on the surface and skin-side up, then cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for another 40 minutes, turning the dish around half way through. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving.
Meanwhile, peel and segement the whole orange and roughly chop the flesh. Put the orange into a bowl with the coriander leaves, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 2 tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
When ready to serve, spoon the dressing over the baking dish and serve.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)
Every year we get a Christmas gift of a cookbook, well we demand it really. This year’s was Med by Claudia Roden and we made this soup as soon as we got home. The flavours are unusual and very delicate but it’s really lovely.
Yoghurt soup with orzo & chickpeas – serves 4
50g orzo
700ml chicken stock (or you can use veg stock)
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg yolk
250g Greek-styke yoghurt
1 tbsp dried mint
a good pinch of saffron threads
120g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
extra virgin olive oil, sumac & chilli powder (to garnish)
Cook the orzo in salty boiling water according to the pack instructions, then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil in another saucepan.
Put the egg yolk and cornflour into a bowl and whisk with a fork until smooth. Put a large spoonful of the yoghurt into the bowl and beat to combine, then beat in the rest of the yoghurt. Stir in the mint, saffron and some black pepper.
Remove the stock from the heat and add the yoghurt mixture, whisking continuously. Stir over a very low heat until beginning to simmer, then cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the chickpeas and heat through and season with salt to taste.
Mix the orzo into the soup just before serving.
Divide between warm bowls and garnish with the sumac, chilli powder and olive oil.
(Original recipe from Med A Cookbook by Claudia Roden, Ebury Press, 2021.)
This is the Ottolenghi Tesk Kitchen’s hummus made with tinned chickpeas – confirmed creamy and dreamy.
Creamy dreamy hummus – serves 6
2 x 400g tins chickpeas
a pinch of ground cumin
120-150g tahini
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1½ tbsp lemon juice
25g ice cubes
salt
good olive oil, to serve
Spread the chickpeas out between two tea towels and rub together for a few minutes to release the skins. Don’t press too hard or you will crush the chickpeas. Discard the skins.
Put the peeled chickpeas into a saucepan, cover with water and add 1 tsp of salt and the pinch of cumin. Simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.
Drain the chickpeas over a bowl and save the cooking water. Put the warm chickpeas into a food processor with 120g of tahini, the garlic, lemon juice, ice cubes, 2 tbsp of the reserved cooking water and a good pinch of salt. Blitz until smooth, then taste and add more tahini, garlic, lemon, salt and chickpea water to taste. We added a good bit of chickpea water to get the right consistency, it needs to be quite loose as it will thicken.
Spread the hummus in a shallow bowl and create a dip in the centre. Top with a generous glug of your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from OTK Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)
This is so simple for mid-week and the colours are just fab! Healthy too and generous portions.
Roast onion, chickpea & halloumi salad – serves 2
2 red onions, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp ras el hanout
extra virgin olive oil
250g cooked Puy lentils – we used a tin but you can of course cook them yourself or buy one of those pouches
100g roasted red peppers, cut into strips
a large handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
a large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
250g packet of halloumi, sliced
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread the onion wedges and chickpeas over the tray, then sprinkle with the ras el hanout and some salt and rub gently to coat, then drizzle with oil. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chickpeas or golden and crunchy.
Meanwhile, mix the lentils, roast peppers, mint and half the chopped parsley in a bowl. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of oil and the pomegranate molasses and season well with salt and pepper. Mix well and divide between serving plates.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add a little oil, then fry the halloumi slices for a couple of minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Spoon the onions and chickpeas over the lentils, then top with the halloumi and scatter over the pomegranate seeds and parsley to serve.
(Original recipe from Lose Weight & Get Fit by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Absolute, 2019.)
We served this as a side with a barbecue but it would also make a nice dinner for 2.
Couscous & chickpeas in ras el hanut spice – serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main
½ a small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ras el hanut spice mix
100g cooked chickpeas (from a tin)
1 tomato, diced
60g couscous
180ml boiling water
15-20g coriander, chopped
Heat the oil in a pan, then fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat until softened and starting to colour. Add the salt and ras el hanut and mix for about 20 seconds. Add the chickpeas and diced tomato and cook for another minute. Stir in the couscous and boiling water, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and cover.
Leave the couscous aside for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid, then remove the lid and use a fork to separate the grains and mix in the chopped coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature.
(Original recipe from Honey & Co. Food from the Middle East, Saltyard Books, 2014.)
A few tins and some spices and you’re pretty much sorted for this tasty weeknight curry. We served this with rice the first night, and chips the second. We also know it’s not tomato season at present but the fresh tomatoes are really more for texture than flavour here.
Tomato & chickpea curry – serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, quartered
a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions for about 10 minutes or until softened.
Add the garlic and spices and keep cooking for another minute or two.
Add the tin of tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and season generously. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
Add the chickpeas and fresh tomatoes and allow to warm through. Serve with some steamed rice and the coriander scattered over.
This is really a dish for sharing but we ate the lot with some crusty bread. Fabulous and intense flavours of lemon and harissa.
Wine Suggestion: Given this dish has a lot of strong, savoury flavours, including heat from the harissa and sour from the lemon, we had to choose Grüner Veltliner. Tonight’s choice is by Höpler from Burgenland in Austria and it was a pure and elegant wine with an appetising freshness and zesty finish. This stood it’s own ground against the big flavours in the food, was nice as an apertif and a wonderful palate cleanser after we’d finished; versatile indeed.
Harissa chickpeas with flaked cod – serves 4 as a starter
200g skinless cod, remove the bones and cut into 3cm pieces
olive oil
1/3 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic, one crushed and one finely sliced
½ an onion, finely sliced
2 cardamom pods, bashed
1 tbsp harissa, rose harissa if you can get it
2 tsp tomato purée
1½ small preserved lemons, skin finely chopped (discard the flesh)
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
200ml vegetable stock
5g coriander, roughly chopped
Put the cod into a bowl with 1½ tsp of olive oil, the cumin, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix gently, then set aside for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes, until soft and golden-brown. Add the sliced garlic and cook for another minute over a gentle heat. Add the cardamom, harissa, tomato purée, preserved lemon, chickpeas and ¼ tsp of salt. Stir for a minute, then add the stock and heat for a few minutes, crushing some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon to thicken the sauce.
Add the fish and gently stir, then cook for 3-4 minutes, turning half-way through, until cooked and easy to flake. Discard the cardamom pods, sprinkle with the coriander and serve.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wigley & Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)
Our default lockdown lunch is soup, it helps with the heating bills! We ran out of soup last week and found this recipe when looking for lunch inspiration that would use the only ingredient left in the fridge – carrots. It was really very nice.
Spicy Carrot & Chickpea Pitta – serves 4
50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp of cumin seeds
4 large carrots, cut into 2cm thick rounds
1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
finely grated zest of an orange, plus a good squeeze of the juice
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 pitta breads
yoghurt or sour cream to serve
Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a couple of minutes, then add the carrots and fry for 8-10 minutes. The carrots should be tender and starting to brown, but still with a bit of bite.
Add the garlic, orange zest, paprika, and chickpeas and cook until the chickpeas are hot. Remove from the heat, season well with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of orange juice.
Warm the pitta breads in a toaster or under the grill, then stuff the mixture into the pockets and top with yoghurt or sour cream.
(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)
We adore spinach and dishes that are full of it, like this spinach, tomato & chickpea curry. Great served with rice or naan breads and some yoghurt. Couldn’t be easier!
Wine Suggestion: A dish like this loves medium weight Grenache based wines like Roc des Anges, l’Effet de Papillon rouge. A velvety, juicy, damson and raspberry flavoured glass with hints of spice.
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Stir for a minute, then add the chopped onions.
Fry for 10 to 12 minutes or until starting to caramelise, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, crushing them with you hand as they go in. Fill the tin a third full with water and add to the pan.
Cook for 10 minutes or until quite dry and paste-like, then add the chickpeas. Warm through for a few minutes, then add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Stir well to combine, then add the spinach and stir until wilted.
Cook for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is cooked. Serve with naan bread or basmati rice and some yoghurt.
(Original recipe from Fresh India by Meeera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2016.)
We made this by accident having planned to do a different tagine from a magazine, only to realised that it required a slow-cooker, so this was a last-minute substitute. It is really and truly delicious, so you must try making this dish at some stage. You can serve with plain couscous but it’s particularly good with this. If chickpeas don’t float your boat as a main course for Sunday lunch both dishes would be excellent with some roast lamb.
Wine Suggestion: this is great with a juicy, brambly Grenache, or a blend with this in it. We had the joyful Les Dissidents “le Paria” made by Domaine Ventenac from 100% Grenache and made without sulphur; fresh, juicy and minerally.
Tomato, date & chickpea tagine – serves 4
2 tbsp olive olive oil or unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
120g pitted dates, halved
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a small bunch of coriander, leaves roughly chopped and stalks reserved
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
2 strips of lemon zest and the juice of ½ a lemon
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
FOR THE SEASONED YOGHURT
200g natural yoghurt
juice of ½ a lemon
Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and fry for 8-10 minutes, until soft.
Whizz half the tomatoes with half of the dates, then add the rest of the tomatoes to the mixture and set aside.
Add the garlic, coriander stalks and all of the spices to the cooked onions, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato mixture, the lemon zest and 100ml of water, season well with salt and pepper, then cook for 10 minutes or until rich and thickened.
Meanwhile, make the seasoned yoghurt. Mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt in a bowl, then set aside.
Stir the chickpeas and the rest of the dates into the tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning. Discard the pieces of lemon zest, then remove the dish from the heat.
Stir in the coriander leaves and serve with some seasoned yoghurt and golden couscous.
(Original recipe from New Kitchen Basics by Claire Thompson, Quadrille, 2019.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 