Braised Chickpeas and Carrots with Feta Topping
Serves 4-6
Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi in the Guardian, January 19, 2019
3 15.5 ounce cans of chickpeas, drained in a sieve or colander set over a bowl to collect the liquid — or you can use other canned beans or a mixture of beans to make 4 to 4-1/2 cups. Still collect the liquid
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and finely chopped (seeds and all) – or 1 dried chipotle chile, seeded and blitzed into small pieces, or 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, or about 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeño, or ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large dates, or 3 prunes, or 4 dried apricots, chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and trimmed, each cut into 4 pieces if small or medium-sized, 6 pieces if they’re humongous – or use a combination of carrots and parsnips
Vegetable stock (optional) or water
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
6-8 ounces crumbled feta cheese (whatever size package is on sale) — or queso fresco, or labneh (strained yogurt cheese)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted and coarsely chopped — or use ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, or ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
A little chopped fresh parsley — or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Measure out the chickpea liquid and reserve ½ cup. (If you don’t have ½ cup, then use what’s there and add water to make it ½ cup.) Rinse the chickpeas and taste one. If it’s really soft, that’s fine. If not, put the chickpeas in a large saucepan and put in enough water to cover by about an inch. Bring the pan to a boil and simmer the chickpeas for about 15 minutes while you start chopping and cooking the rest of the dish.
In a large high-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid, or in a lidded Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño (if you’re using a fresh one) plus 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the cumin, cinnamon, dates (or other dried fruit), tomato paste, some ground black pepper, and the chipotle or pepper flakes or pickled jalapeño (if you used any of them instead of the fresh jalapeño) and cook for a couple of minutes.
Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid if you cooked them further. Stir the drained chickpeas into the onion mixture so that they’re nicely coated. Stir in the carrots, again until everything is nicely coated, and then add either enough of the chickpea boiling water or plain water or vegetable stock to just cover everything. Stir in the half-cup of chickpea liquid you saved from the cans. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook over very low heat for 45 minutes. Check every 15 minutes and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot and that there’s enough liquid. Add some more water if needed. You want to end up with the liquid no more than halfway up the chickpeas and carrots – not dry, but not soupy, either. If there’s too much liquid after 45 minutes of cooking, uncover the pot and boil for a few minutes to reduce.
While the pot is cooking, combine the feta, caraway, lemon zest, and parsley, and set aside. When the 45 minutes are up, stir the lemon juice into the pot and taste for salt and pepper. Let the chickpea mixture sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Scatter the feta topping over the chickpea mixture. Serve hot.
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