Chickpeas with dates, turmeric, cinnamon and almonds

From: Olive

Easy chickpea stew packed with dates, crunchy almonds and vibrant turmeric. Slow cooking chickpeas with a heady selection of spices really ramps up the flavour in this frugal dish. Try to get hold of the extra large, chubby chickpeas in jars for superior texture.



Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

• plum tomatoes 400g tin
• pitted dates 100g, halved
• olive oil 2 tbsp, plus extra to serve
• garlic 4 cloves, finely chopped
• ginger finely grated to make 1 tbsp
• coriander a small bunch, stalks and leaves separated and roughly chopped
• ground cumin 1 tsp
• ground coriander 1 tsp
• ground turmeric 1 tsp
• cinnamon stick 1
• lemon ½, juiced, plus 2 strips of the zest with pith removed
• large chickpeas 660g jar, rinsed and drained (or use 2 x 400g tins)
• flaked almonds 40g, toasted
• orange 1 small, cut into wedges to serve
• couscous to serve

Method

Step 1

Heat the slow cooker to high or low, depending on desired cooking time.

Step 2

Put ½ the tomatoes and ½ the dates into a blender. Whizz to a purée, then tip into the slow cooker with the remaining tomatoes.

Step 3

Add the oil, garlic, ginger, coriander stalks, spices, the lemon zest and 100ml water to the slow cooker. Season and cook for 1-2 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until the sauce is thick and rich-tasting.

Step 4

Stir in the chickpeas and the remaining dates, and cook for 30 minutes more to warm through. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning once again, adding more if necessary. Remove the lemon zest.

Step 5

Serve the chickpeas with a drizzle more olive oil, the toasted almonds and chopped coriander, with the orange wedges and couscous on the side.

See more at Olive