Chickpeas to me is comfort food. My father’s side of the family being Egyptian/Syrian/Turkish, I have grown up eating this grain and it is a staple in my diet. A couple of months ago I received my favorite magazine in the mail, Saveur, and I came across this recipe.
Initially, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it. Generally I like my vegetables barely cooked, fresh and crispy. But this article praised slow cooked veggies. I figured I would give it a try, thinking that I wasn’t going to be that thrilled with it. What a surprise! I fell in love with it. It is really simple, flavourful, and the one word that comes to mind, is comforting. It was so reminiscent of the flavour profiles that I grew up with, that instantly I knew I was going to make this dish again and again.
It is quite heavy on the cumin, which I love, but the original recipe calls for an hour of cooking time. I reduced that to 35 minutes, because I wanted more tomato sauce than Saveur’s. This is a perfectly simple and delicious meal that can be enjoyed on it’s own with a loaf of crusty bread, à la girl in a food frenzy’s. But you can always have it as a side dish as well, with something simple, like grilled fish or steak.
So here’s what you’re going to need:
Adapted from Saveur Magazine
SERVES 4-6
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add cumin seeds and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.