We’ve made it through January. The light is, ever-so-slowly, starting to lengthen at the end of each day. Our new-ish routine, juggling work with nursery pick-ups, is starting to feel (whisper it) a bit more manageable. The end of what’s been a long and completely knackering winter is, I hope, in sight.
This week I bring you a veg-packed bowl that’s prepped all in one pot. It’s made with the most basic ingredients – pulses, root veg and good old tinned tomatoes – jazzed up with loads of spices and some of that go-to flavour-boosting ingredient, rose harissa. Served on top is some marinated feta, tossed in olive oil, capers, lemon zest and chilli – an optional addition which brings welcome salty tang. It’s hearty enough to warm you from the inside out but fresh enough to remind you that spring will, at some point, return.
Moroccan-style chickpea and harissa stew with marinated feta
Serves 4
1 large white onion, finely sliced
2 peppers (one red, one yellow), thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tin (400g) tomatoes
400g chickpeas – jarred if you can find them
1.5 tbsp rose harissa, to taste
Dukkah, to serve (optional)
For the feta100g feta
4 tbsp olive oil
2 red chillies
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp capers
Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large casserole and add the onions and peppers. Sweat over a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, until sticky and caramelised.
Add the garlic, carrot and parsnip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add the spices and cook for a further minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes then fill the empty tin with water and add that too. Stir in the chickpeas and harissa and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the carrots and parsnips are tender (add a splash of water if it gets too thick).
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the feta in a bowl and set aside. Serve the soup with the marinated feta on top and a sprinkling of dukkah (a Middle Eastern mix of nuts, seeds and spices).
The baby step
After you’ve added the chickpeas, set some of the mixture aside for your little one, fork-mashing or blending to their preferred consistency. Serve with a little plain feta crumbled on top.
Switch it up
Try making this in a roasting tray instead of on the hob. Add all the ingredients except the tinned tomatoes and chickpeas to a tray and roast at 180C for around 30 minutes, until the veg is tender. Stir in the chickpeas and tinned tomatoes and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes.
Switch up the flavours you use for the feta – try preserved lemons, black olives or fresh mint.
Use it up
Keep the marinated feta in a jar in the fridge, covered with olive oil, ready to be spooned onto salads or soups – it keeps for much longer than opened fresh feta.