Now the supermarket shelves have been stripped of chick peas, you must have some at hand! This is a lovely warming meal that even the kids will love. I always cook much more than is needed for a single meal and suggest you do the same. Fill the freezer with nutritious meals, hand out to friends or elderly neighbours and relatives. There is nothing better, on a day when you walk in the door exhausted and unable to even think about food, to pull something homemade, nutritious and delicious out of the freezer!
I use our ready made frozen passata as the tomato base but you can use tinned tomatoes or fresh. Let’s assume you’re starting from scratch:
Fry the onion in a mix of olive oil and balsamic until translucent. Whizz the tomatoes in a food processor and pour into the pan. Add a good glug of balsamic, the salt, Mixed Spice, Turmeric and Honey or brown sugar and stir well. If you like chilli or a bit of heat and the rest of the family can tolerate it, add some chilli flakes or chilli oil now.
Add the chick peas and bring to the boil quickly then slowly simmer for several hours. Stews are brilliant for Autumn and Winter days when you are at home as they simmer slowly on the backburner.
Serve with rice. As with all stews and curries, it’s always better on the second day!