Greek Chickpea Stew with Lemon

I confess, I am a hoarder. Just open up my pantry and you will see that I am a person that stockpiles grains, nuts, dried fruit and legumes. One of my favorites being chickpeas. They are an extremely versatile bean that can be turned into so many things. Don’t believe me? I’ve made incredible chocolate cupcakes and my kids had no idea what was inside. Shhhhhh! I started out the day wanting to make some sort of dessert but somehow, ended up with this Greek lemon chickpea stew. No regrets here! All of the aromatic flavors in this dish are fantastic. Being winter, I was surprised to find some thyme, rosemary and parsley all still alive in my garden. Naturally, it would be a shame not to put them to good use.

In this recipe, I decided to use Meyer lemons. They are in season at the moment and are my absolute favorite because of their sweetness. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Also, you can use dry chickpeas in place of canned ones, but be sure to presoak them in a bowl of water for at least six hours. Both canned and dry chickpeas turn out delicious. I ate so much while checking to see if the beans were soft enough, that I was pretty full by the time I was done making the stew.

Greek Chickpea Stew with Lemon

Recipe by physicalfoodieCourse: Entrées

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

This chickpea stew is so hearty and full of flavor, that it is hard to believe that it is so good for you.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon avocado oil

• 2 medium carrots, chopped

• 2 large stalks of celery, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 2 sprigs of rosemary

• 3 cans of chickpeas

• 2 ½ cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

• juice of 2 lemons

• zest of 2 lemons

• salt to taste

Directions

• Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté chopped onions, carrots and celery for about 7-10 minutes, continuously stirring.
• Add in minced garlic, and stir some more for another 3-5 minutes.
• As they are cooking, drain and rinse chickpeas and set aside.
• Slowly pour stock into the pot and add in drained chickpeas.
• Add thyme, rosemary, pepper, lemon juice and zest and allow to cook for an hour or until the chickpeas are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Once done, allow to cool a bit and take out about a cup of chickpeas and liquid. Using an emersion blender, blend the separated chickpeas and liquid in a bowl until all is smooth. Pour blended chickpeas back into the pot with the remaining stew and mix well. Allow to cook and enjoy!