Sweet potato and chickpea salad

Tags

chickpeas, garbanzo beans, salad, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegetarian, walnut oil, yams

One of my all time favourites.  Perfect for a lunch or as a side salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 cup chickpeas/ garbanzo beans
dressing:
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
4 teaspoons walnut oil
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro, fresh, roughly chopped
4 teaspoons sesame seeds or chopped walnuts

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 225 C / 450 F
Scrub the potato skins with a brush but do not peel
Make a few incisions in the potato
Sprinkle with cumin
Wrap individually in aluminum foil
Place in the oven and bake for 45 – 60 minutes
Remove and set aside to cool
dressing:
Whisk the mustard, walnut oil, olive oil, honey and lemon juice together
Season to taste
Add the chickpeas to the dressing
Crush the sweet potatoes with a fork and top with the chickpeas and dressing
Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds
Bon appetit!

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Pork, chorizo and chickpea casserole

Tags

casserole, chickpeas, chorizo, garbanzo beans, Pork, pork belly, spanish, stew, winter food

There is nothing better on a cold winters day than a delicious, flavourful and heart warming stew. This one is a one-pot dish with Spanish flavours. The best cut of pork to use is pork belly but if you cannot find any, you can actually substitute almost any other cut and the dish is just as good; just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 700g / 1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless pork belly, cut into large bite-sized chunks
• 150g / 5oz cooking chorizo, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• 1 pinch dried chilli flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 large pinch light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 50ml / 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or good-quality red wine vinegar
• 400g / 14oz can chopped tomatoes
• 250ml / 1 cup water
• 400g / 14oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (garbanzo beans in the US)
• 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
• Crusty bread to serve

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 160C/325F
Heat the oil in a large pot (Le creuset or similar) over medium high heat
Add the pork and brown it nicely on all sides, about 8 minutes
Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork cubes and set aside
Add the chorizo and cook for about a minute or so
Add the onion, carrot, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, garlic, bay leaves and thyme
Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are just starting to soften and colour
Add the sugar, tomato concentrate and vinegar and cook for a minute
Pour in the tomatoes and the water
Return the pork to the pot and bring to a boil
Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes
Check occasionally – if the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash more water
Stir in the chickpeas and return to the oven for 15 minutes
Remove, add the parsley and serve with crusty bread to mop up all those flavours
Enjoy!

 

Spanish chickpea and chorizo soup – creamy, spicy,smoky goodness in a bowl

Tags

chickpeas, chorizo, garbanzo beans, jambon de bayonne, pata negra, prosciutto, smoky, Soup, spanish, spicy, spinach

You might think that this does not look like a very pretty soup – and I would agree, it is rather rustic looking but the taste is out of this world. Smoky, spicy chorizo married with Spanish ham all surrounded by creamy chickpeas and healthy spinach give this dish a superb texture. Served with crusty bread, it is a meal in itself. Do not skip the last step and forget to add the chopped hard boiled egg on top, it is traditional and adds an unexpected but lovely richness to the soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil
150 g / 5 1/2 oz chorizo sausage, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped
8 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped (can use canned)
400 g / 14 oz can of chickpeas, drained
5 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60 g / 2 oz pata negra, Spanish ham, prosciutto, jambon de bayonne cut up into pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Preparation:

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add some olive oil
Add the choizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
Add the onion, garlic and celery
Turn the heat down and cook for about 15 minutes, covered
Add the spinach, chickpeas and chicken stock
Bring to the boil
Lower heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
Remove about 1/3 to 1/2 the mixture and purée it
Add the puréed mixture back to your pot and season
Remove from the heat
Stir in the ham
Divide into bowls
Add some chopped egg to each serving
Enjoy!