Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to serve
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1¼ teaspoons ras el hanout (see Tip)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable stock, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Fine sea salt
• 3 cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 200g baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or lemon wedges (optional), for serving
• Crusty bread, couscous, bulgur or rice, for serving

For the Harissa Oil (optional)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon harissa paste

Directions

1. Prepare the stew: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the garlic and ras el hanout and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the stock, soy sauce and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce slightly darkens in color and its flavors have melded.
3. Add the chickpeas and simmer until they are warm and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted and fully incorporated into the stew, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. If the stew starts getting too thick, feel free to add a few more spoonfuls of stock or water.
4. If using, make the harissa oil: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and harissa until well incorporated.
5. Serve the stew warm, with a dollop of Greek yogurt or lemon wedges on the side, and a drizzle of olive oil (or harissa oil), if desired. Enjoy with crusty bread or over grains like couscous, bulgur or rice.

Tip

Ras el hanout is widely available online and in larger grocery stores. If you’d like to make your own, stir together the following ingredients:

• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground aniseed
• ½ tsp ground caraway seeds
• ½ tsp ground fennel
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground black pepper