Chickpea Ham Hock Stew Recipe 25

Steps:

• In a slow cooker, combine the water, ham hocks, chickpeas, carrots, bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, cover and cook on low for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the chickpeas, ham hocks and potatoes are tender. Transfer the ham hocks to a large plate. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. When the hocks are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and coarsely chop it. Return the ham to the soup. Using a paring knife, cut the carrots in the cooker into bite-size pieces. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and mash to a puree. Stir the mashed potatoes into the soup along with the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onion in oil for 3 minutes. Add the ham, garlic, rosemary and sage; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. , Drain orzo; stir into soup. Add chickpeas; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and parsley.

Steps:

• In a casserole heat the oil over moderate heat until hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden. Add the garlic, cumin, thyme and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and liquid, broth And cinnamon stick, bring liquid to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Add the broccoli, squash and chickpeas and simmer, covered, 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are just tender. Stir in the cilantro. Serve with couscous.

Steps:

• Pick over the chickpeas, discarding any misshapen peas or grit, rinse well, and soak overnight in water to cover. The next day, drain the chickpeas and put them in a saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Tie together 4 of the garlic cloves, the onion, and the bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and add the sachet to the pan. Add the optional ham hock only if you will not be adding salt cod later, and then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, adding 2 teaspoons salt (less if using the ham hock) after the first 10 minutes of cooking, until the chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat, and remove the sachet from the pan. Leave the chickpeas in their cooking liquid. Discard the ham bone. Untie the sachet, discard the bay leaf, and reserve the garlic and onion.
• Place the spinach in a saucepan with only the rinsing water clinging to its leaves and cook over medium heat, stirring and turning constantly with tongs, until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain well in a sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon. If the leaves seem stringy or too big, you can chop them a bit more. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread and the remaining 3 uncooked garlic cloves and fry, turning as needed, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or small processor, add the saffron, and pulse until pulverized. Add the onion and garlic reserved from the chickpeas, the cumin, paprika, and 1 cup of the chickpea cooking liquid and purée until smooth.
• Add the purée and the spinach to the cooked chickpeas along with the salt cod or the ham, whichever you are using. Place the mixture over low heat, stir well, and bring to a simmer. If it seems dry, add a little water as needed so the stew is spoonable. Season to taste with salt and lots of pepper. Taste and balance the seasoning with vinegar.
• Transfer to a serving dish. If serving with the optional eggs, top with the fried eggs and serve hot, or with the hard-boiled eggs and serve warm.

Steps:

• Place the garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight.
• The next day, rinse the soaked beans and place them into a slow cooker; place the ham bone in the cooker, and pour in enough water to cover the beans and ham bone by several inches. Set the cooker to Low, and cook for 8 hours.
• Skim any foam from the top of the soup, and remove the ham bone. Strip as much meat as possible from the ham bone, and return the meat to the slow cooker; discard the bone. Stir in potatoes, carrots, frozen corn, and black pepper to taste. Set the cooker on Low, and cook for 1 hour; then turn the heat up to High and cook 1 more hour (10 hours total cooking time).