Tuesday, May 4, 2010

My spicy potato-chickpea stew with homegrown chard

Linda Lehmusvirta, producer of Central Texas Gardener (aired on Austin's PBS affiliate station, KLRU), suggested I post tonight's dinner recipe. We'd already eaten ours at that point, so my only picture is what was leftover in the pan!



This is fairly spicy but has lots of extra healthy stuff included, like ginger, garlic, and turmeric. I'm not used to writing out recipes because I always taste as I go along and am usually making it up as I go along, but I think my guesses on the spices are reasonable.

Every ingredient I used was organic (and some local or homegrown) except the jalapenos. The prep work takes the most time, but it's not too bad. It's worth the effort!

A few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or ghee)
One large yellow onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
approx 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
6-8 red new potatoes or Yukon Golds, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1-2 cups chopped swiss chard and/or kale

Ground spices (all to taste, but these are my guesstimates):
cumin (2 T)
coriander (1 T)
turmeric (1 T)
fennel (1 t)
fenugreek (1 t)
asafoetida (1/2 to 1 t)
cinnamon (couple of pinches)
honey (1-2 T)

One 28 oz. can crushed (or diced) tomatoes
One 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
salt (1-2 T)
Handful chopped cilantro (save part for garnish)
Half-handful chopped mint (save part for garnish)
optional: drizzle of yogurt as garnish

On medium-low heat, sautee onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and potato, and chard/kale in olive oil (or ghee) for about 20 minutes. Stir often. Add all powdered spices and honey, continue cooking, covered, over low heat until potatoes are starting to soften (stir occasionally). Add tomatoes, salt to taste, and garbanzo beans (mostly drained).

Continue to cook, covered, over low heat for around 20 minutes. Add cilantro and mint. Continue to cook, covered, for a few minutes. Turn off heat: taste, adjust, make sure potatoes are soft but not mushy. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before eating. Garnish with reserved cilantro and mint (and yogurt).

19 comments:

NotSoAngryRedHead said...

That sounds awesome! My mouth is actually watering. I'm putting this on next week's grocery list.

Iris said...

NotSoAngryRedHead--I have to admit that it was pretty awesome. I think tomorrow's lunch leftovers will be just as good, if not better. Definitely a keeper, especially right now when I can get the yummy fresh new potatoes and onions and cilantro from Boggy Creek Farm!

Mama Rachael said...

Does look good, and I think Hubby will like it. He loves spicy and flavorful foods and I'm always looking for yummy ways to get more veggies into our diets.

Thanks!

TexasDeb said...

Sounds like a mouth party for certain. Thank you Iris and thank you Linda. Hope this isn't the last recipe we find here....

Mama Rachael said...

A second comment: I had to look up fenugreek and asafoetida to see what those are. I'm impressed with anyone who keeps asafoetida in their house, sounds just horrible when raw.

Where do you get these? I consider myself fairly educated with the common spices and I've never heard of these before, or, I think, seen them in the grocery store (but not looked for them before, either, so could have just missed it)

Iris said...

TheYoungerRachael--You're welcome. Hope y'all like it! You'll probably need to play around with the spices.

The powdered asafoetida smells really weird, but when cooked, it adds a subtle garlic-onion sort of flavor. It's often used in Indian and Persion food. It has great anti-inflammatory properties, too.

In Austin, I bought mine and the fenugreek at Wheatsville Co-op, but I'm pretty sure Whole Foods or Central Market would have it. Probably available online, too.

Iris said...

Deb--You're welcome! "Mouth party"--like it. Thanks for the encouragement!

LindaCTG said...

I am making it this weekend! Thanks a million. Great picture of "leftover" too!

Iris said...

LindaCTG--You're quite welcome! Hope you like it. Thanks for encouraging me. Leftover at lunch today was delicious, too.

Kathleen Scott said...

Yea, for you and for Linda getting you to write it down. Your dinners always sound good, now I can try one myself.

Iris said...

Kathleen--Thanks! I hope you like it.

renee/renee's roots said...

Mmmm, this sounds good. I'm thinking austin's veg-growing blogger/foodies should team up for a cookbook. Whataya think?

Iris said...

Renee--Sounds like a great idea!! Count me in.

Meredith said...

Mmmmmm, sounds incredible. Can't wait to try it!

Rock rose said...

Yummy. Leftovers as well! Asafoetida- that is a new one on me. Foetid does not usually describe something nice. Must look it up.

Iris said...

Meredith--I hope you like it as much as we did.

Lancashire rose--My understanding is that Asafoetida is common in Indian and Persian cooking.

Also, a friend who works at Whole Foods told me that has such beneficial anti-inflammatory properties that M.D. Anderson incorporates it into the meals for their cancer patients. Interesting, huh?

Paul said...

Aloo channa? Or is it a Tamil recipe?

Iris said...

Paul--Maybe an improvised aloo channa? I didn't follow a recipe: I was craving something tomato-based and curry-spicy and had freshly dug potatoes on hand from the organic farmstand.

I rarely cook anything without onions and garlic and often add ginger, jalapeno, and cumin anyway, so I guess I was off to a good start. Thanks for telling me it had a name. Must get a real Indian cookbook soon! Feel free to recommend.

Paul said...

Bravo for your adventurism! I'm unfortunately ignorant of a good Indian cookbook, but there are plenty of online resources...even FoodTV has an excellent collection of recipes (and you don't need to bother with metric weights!).