“…half of what we think we like about eating meat has absolutely nothing to do with meat, but the way it’s prepared, from the salt-pepper char on a steak to the layers of flavors in a long braise.”
– Deb Perelman
I made a full Rosh Hashanah meal for two this year (because covid), and was thrilled with the results! The spread included an apple with drizzled honey, a Challah loaf, siracha-honey roasted brussels sprouts and Smitten Kitchen’s Tangy Braised Chickpeas. Everything was irresistibly good, but the Tangy Braised Chickpea entrée STOLE. THE. SHOW. I’ve always been a fan of chickpeas, and I consider myself to be a flexitarian, so when I cam across this recipe I was immediately drawn to this dish. I couldn’t wait to make it for Rosh Hashanah.
So, here we go… see the results and recipe below.
The recipe provided by Smitten Kitchen was simple and easy to follow. I followed the recipe exactly, with one minor change. I searched my cabinets high and low for my red wine vinegar, and couldn’t find it. So I grabbed some apple cider vinegar, a red wine blend, and combined the two to equal 1/3 cup. You won’t believe it, 30 minutes into the braise I found my red wine vinegar – hah!
An instructional change I made was seasoning the dish twice while in the oven. I pulled out the dutch oven, sprinkled salt and pepper, then put back into the oven (about 30 min apart).
I can’t describe how delicious this dish is. All I can do is HIGHLY encourage you to make it so you can discover for yourself.
Enjoy!
Tangy Braised Chickpeas
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 2 large, thick carrots (12 ounces), in 1/4-inch slices
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces or 2 large portobello mushrooms, in generous 1/2-inch slices
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 to 4 cups mushroom or vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire or soy sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees. If you have a Dutch oven or braiser that can go from stove to oven, start in this on the stove. If not, start with a wide, deep saute pan and transfer the mixture to a 3-quart (or 9×13-inch) casserole or baking dish for the oven part.
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add onion; cook 3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the carrots, 1 teaspoon salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 more minutes, until they begin to glisten. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add tomato paste and brown sugar and cook until well-incorporated, 3 minutes. Add 3 cups stock, vinegar, Worcestershire or soy sauce, chickpeas, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer with another teaspoon of kosher salt and more ground pepper.
Once simmering, either cover tightly with a lid or pour into your baking dish and cover with a lid or tightly with foil and transfer to oven. Braise chickpeas and vegetables for 90 minutes, checking at the 1 hour mark to make sure the chickpeas haven’t absorbed all of the broth (and adding the remaining 1 cup broth if so). Remove from oven, discard bay leaf, and adjust seasonings to taste.
Do ahead: Braised chickpeas will keep in the fridge for 4 days, and for a month or longer in the freezer. Reheat at 350 degrees.
It’s time to eat, enjoy!
Let me know how the recipe turned out for you in the comments below!
Trial & Eggs 