Chickpea Stew

When I started as the cast cook at Bristol Renaissance Faire, one of the first things I learned is a lot of people at the fair are vegetarians. I had to start planning and providing a vegetarian option. For the most part, things went smoothly. The cashew chili was a much requested recipe for both vegetarians and carnivores. I also started making pocket tacos using TVP, after which the vegetarians accused me of serving them meat. That's how good they were! Anyhoo, I came across this recipe not too long ago, so I thought I would give it a try to see how Bristol it is.

As always, the recipe picture above is a 4x6 JPG. You can download it and print it on 4x6 photo paper to keep in your recipe box.

For equipment, you will need

1. A large skillet with a cover. I got my Henckels pan from Amazon.
2. A small skillet.
3. A colander to thaw and drain the spinach.
4. Measuring spoons. Mine are great because they are thin enough to scoop out of spice jars.
5. Bowls or measuring cups to use for mise en place. One needs to be large enough to hold the spinach and water.
6. A can opener.
7. Because someone will troll me if I don't mention it, you'll also need a heat source, like a stove top.

For ingredients, you will need

1. 4 Tbsp. olive oil
2. 4 tsp. dried minced onion
3. ½ tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
4. 1 tsp. garlic powder
5. ¾ tsp. paprika
6. 3 Tbsp. no-salt-added tomato paste
7. 2 (15-oz.) cans no-salt-added chickpeas
8. 1 (14.5-oz.) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
9. 1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
10. ¾ tsp. salt
11. ¼ tsp. black pepper
12. 1 cup water
13. ½ cup panko bread crumbs
14. Naan bread (optional)

Start by taking the spinach out of the package and putting it in a colander to thaw and drain. This took several hours, so plan your cooking accordingly. Once it is thawed, press it to get most of the water out.

Based on how fast this recipe cooks, I highly recommend you mise en place your ingredients. To that end, I recommend you create the following bowls:

1. Dried onion and rosemary
2. Tomato paste, paprika, and garlic powder
3. Spinach, salt, pepper, and water

You should also open all your canned goods at this time.

If you are using a stainless steel skillet, prepare your pan using these instructions. Otherwise, skip this step.

With the large skillet on your heat source, turn your heat to medium low and pour in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. You will know the oil is heated when it looks kind of shimmery. If it smokes, the heat is too high; adjust it down a bit.

1. To the oil, add the onion and rosemary. Stir briskly. If it gets black, your heat was too high. Use a lower heat next time.
2. Once the onion has browned, add the garlic, paprika, and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
3. Add the canned ingredients. Pour the first can in slowly, as the water will mix with the hot oil and sizzle quite a bit.
4. Add the spinach mixture and stir it around.
5. Bring this all to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer is defined as "just below boiling" and technically is stated as being 180°-185°F. It should be steaming a bit but not bubbling a lot. Cover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until hot. This should be about 5-7 minutes, according to the recipe. While this is cooking, you can prepare the panko bread crumbs.

If you are using a stainless steel skillet, prepare your pan using these instructions. Otherwise, skip this step.

With small skillet on heat source, adjust to medium heat. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet. When the oil is heated, add the panko bread crumbs. Toast, stirring occasionally. Serve this as a garnish on the side.

The recipe suggests serving this with naan bread. I found these toaster naan at my local Kroger big-box store. I thought I would give them a try. While in the toaster, they get a bit droopy and sag into the slot. The package recommends a medium setting, so I dialed my toaster to 3/5. It was extremely hot when it popped up. I think I can reduce the setting a bit.

Taste-wise, it left something to be desired. I think most of the seasonings were burned off by cooking them in oil first. Other than tomato and spinach, this dish had very little flavor. It is definitely not as tasty as the lentil soup I made a few weeks ago. (I just noticed I have not posted the lentil soup recipe, so I'll get that on my list of things to do.) The naan really didn't provide much to the experience of the dish.

Prep-wise, this is the perfect soup for Bristol. There is nothing fresh. I don't mean that in a bad way. With time constraints, though, having something that can be just measured and cooked without peeling or chopping really saves time.

Money-wise, this recipe came to $1.06 per Bristol serving, or $2.12 per Mr. Karl serving. This is definitely well within the parameters of providing a decent meal to the fair cast. I could sell this for $1.50 and make a nice profit to pay for the next day's soup.

All in all, this recipe didn't excite me enough to want to make it again. I would if it were popular or if I could get more flavor out of the spices. I have better tasting recipes that I know the cast enjoys, so it would be difficult for this stew (it is more like a soup than a stew) to make it into the meal rotation.