Chickpeas and Spinach with Sweet Potato and Yogurt Sauce

Oh how much I love this stew. It’s always so warm and comforting and definitely hits the spot at one time. The dish has three components and no getting ideas that you can skip a part. I once thought that but then you miss the magic that happens when it becomes a trio.

The chickpea stew creates the perfect base to compliment the sweetness and richness of buttered sweet potatoes. The tanginess of yogurt keeps things exciting and fresh.

This recipe is slightly modified from Yotam Ottolenghi and Samimi Tamii’s book, Ottolenghi.

Stew Ingredients
2 Tbl olive oil
1 onion
1 Tbl cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 Tbl tomato paste
14 ounce canned diced tomatoes
2 -14 ounce cans chickpeas
2 c water (might need more)
½ tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
3 c baby spinach
2/3 c packed cilantro leaves (garnish)

Stew Directions
Add 2 Tbl oil to a 5 quart pot. Turn on the heat to medium until the oil shimmers.

Chop your onion. Slice off both ends of the onion. Slice it in half pole to pole. Take ½ and put it cut side down on a cutting board. Slice it thinly pole to pole. Turn it 90 degrees and slice it across to create chopped onions. Repeat with the second half.

Your oil is most likely shimmering so add 1 Tbl cumin and 1 tsp coriander to the pot. If it makes a loud noise when you add the spices, lower your heat. Stir until spices become fragrant and darkens in color. Do not skip the oil because you’ll lose the spice flavor. Add 1 Tbl tomato paste. Stir the mixture until it slightly darkens.

Add 14 ounces of canned diced tomatoes, 2 -14 ounce cans of chickpeas with their brine, and two c of water. Add ½ tsp ground black pepper and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Give it a quick stir and taste. Add salt if needed. It will vary depending on the saltiness of your tomatoes and chick peas.

Simmer for one hour. Adjust for consistency. You should be able to see liquid in the pot, but the top layer of chick peas should be exposed. Add more water if needed or leave the pot uncovered and boil it to reduce water if needed. Taste one more time and add salt if needed.

Right before serving, turn off heat, and add spinach to the hot stew. Allow it to wilt.

Take cilantro leaves and small stems. Stack them. Slice them. They don’t need to be finely chopped.

Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
1 lb sweet potatoes
3 Tbl butter
1/3 tsp salt

Sweet Potatoes Directions
Take sweet potatoes and slice off the end tips. Slice around the equator to have 1” tall rounds.

Melt 3 Tbl butter in a saute pan. Add the potatoes into a single layer. You should hear a sizzle that settles down. Your potatoes can touch but they should not be layered. If needed, you can always add some of the butter from a hot pan to a second one. You don’t want to cook the potatoes in batches because it will take too long to cook.

Sprinkle half of the salt on top of the potatoes. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Take a peek under one potato. If it’s brown, flip them over. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top. Cook another 15 minutes. They’re done when both sides are browned. Remember times are estimates and are never an indicator of doneness.

Yogurt Sauce Ingredients
½ c Greek yogurt
1 tsp crushed garlic (1 clove on hand)
3 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp dried mint
1/8 tsp black pepper.

Yogurt Sauce Directions
Put a ½ c of Greek yogurt in a jar.

Slice off the dry end of the garlic. Lay the knife flat on top of the clove. Use the exterior of your fist and give it one good whack. The skin should pop off. Thinly slice the garlic. Rotate the garlic 90 degrees and thinly slice again. Rock the knife back and forth to mince the garlic. Add 1 tsp garlic to the jar. If you have a little less, it’s ok.

Add 3 Tbl olive oil, 1 tsp dried mint, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir until well incorporated.

Assemble
Ladle stew into a bowl. Put a few sweet potato rounds in the bowl. Add a dollop of yogurt sauce on top and sprinkle with cilantro.

Notes
For unused tomato paste, I put the whole can into a Ziploc bag into the freezer. The next time I need tomato paste, I remove it from the freezer about 20 minutes before I need it. Scoop out what you need and pop it back in the freezer for next time.

If you aren’t sure if the potatoes will fit in one pan, before heating anything, lay the potatoes on the bottom of the pot. If they don’t fit, divide the butter between two pans and proceed accordingly.

You can substitute parsley or green onion for cilantro. The flavors aren’t similar, but would be very good.