It’s wintry, cold and dark outside and I just crave these warming super nutritious stew type dishes to come home to in the evenings.
Grab a bowl, a blanket and curl up in front of the open fire eating this!
You Will Need:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 stick celery cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red chilli deseeded and chopped, or 1/2 tsp of chilli powder
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 leeks cut into bite-sized pieces (green parts too)
- 1 green pepper deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g)
- 1 tin chickpeas (400g) drained and rinsed
- 20g fresh flat-leaf parsley or herb of your choice chopped
- 1 tbsp honey or another natural sweetener
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 180 g Sundried Tomato Pesto (the happy pear one is the best!)
- 700 g potatoes thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling
Serves 6
How to Make
- Heat the oil in a large pan on a low to medium heat.
- Add the onion and bay leaf and cook gently for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the carrots, celery, chilli and garlic and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly and adding a splash of water if the vegetables begin to dry out.
- Add the leeks, green pepper, dried herbs and paprika and cook for a further 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring regularly.
- Now, stir in the tomato purée, followed by the chopped tinned tomatoes.
- Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chickpeas to the pan, then leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, steam or boil the potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 200oC/gas mark 6.
- Add most of the parsley to the chickpea stew along with the honey. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then stir in 1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato pesto.
- Pour the stew into a baking dish and top with the sliced potatoes, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil, then bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the stew is bubbling and potatoes are crispy.
- To serve, spread some sun-dried tomato pesto over the potatoes and garnish with the rest of the parsley.
Yours in health and happiness,
JP
The Health Project 