Italian Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

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:

1. 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).
2. To make this completely vegetarian, use vegetable stock.
3. I served this with basmati rice but do realize; rice is not figure friendly, keep portion control in mind.
4. This is a great autumn dish.
5. You can also bake this in the over if you prefer, 350, for 30, up to 60 minutes.