Italian Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew
I have outlined the health benefits of curry and cauliflower in a previous post so I’ll focus my time on another aspect here, the chickpeas! Chickpeas are exceptionally high in protein and fibre, not to mention vitamin B-6, iron and magnesium. This dish is complete, satisfying and a great option for ‘Meatless Monday’.
Serves 6
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Medium onion, diced
1 Small head of cauliflower, broken into florets
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp curry powder
½ Cup white wine
1 796 ml can of crushed tomatoes
½ Cup water
¼ Cup stock of your choosing
1 796 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed
8-10 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
Salt
Pepper
– In a large saucepot, heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (it will ripple) add the onion and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
– When the onions are sautéed, add the cauliflower; season with salt and pepper.
– Coat the cauliflower in the oil and onions, then add the curry powder; mix well.
– Add the garlic, let it sauté for about 30 seconds, making sure you don’t let it burn.
– Turn the heat to high and add the white wine, let it boil for about a minute to cook the alcohol out.
– Add the tomatoes and drop the heat to medium (your ceiling will thank you!).
– Add the water to the can the tomatoes came in, swish it around to clean out any tomato that may be left in the can; add the water from the can to the pot.
– Add the stock.
– Season liberally with salt and pepper; mix well.
– Add the chickpeas, again, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
– Let the sauce come up to a boil and then drop the heat to low.
– Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let the stew simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
– When the cauliflower is cooked and the stew is ready to be served; taste and adjust seasoning.
– Top the stew with the basil.
Notes:
- A little heat would work great here; add ½ tsp of chili flakes to the pot when you add the olive oil (add it to the cold oil to infuse it as the oil heats up).
- To make this completely vegetarian, use vegetable stock.
- I served this with basmati rice but do realize; rice is not figure friendly, keep portion control in mind.
- This is a great autumn dish.
- You can also bake this in the over if you prefer, 350, for 30, up to 60 minutes.