Ethiopian-Style Chickpea Stew

This stew is spicy, but very tasty. I would recommend you roast the chickpeas which is easy to do while you are chopping up the vegetables. Paired with Rosemary Flat Bread from Epicurious, you have a delicious vegetarian meal!

I recommend you use whole spices to make the berbere (see the recipe for what this is) and crush them in a mortar and pestle. Here's the berbere I used in this recipe:

Berbere Spice Mix
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. allspice, freshly ground
1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp. cardamom, freshly ground
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. coriander, freshly ground (I dry my own coriander)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground fenugreek (optional)

Stew recipe from Whole Foods Market
 http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2441 
(link doesn't work, so I posted the recipe below)

Ingredients

Berbere Spice Mix (above) PLUS

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth or homemade chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss chickpeas with a tablespoon of the oil on a large rimmed baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Roast chickpeas, stirring occasionally, until somewhat dried out and just golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes; set aside.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and chopped ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in spice mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until spices are toasted and very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and cook 2 minutes more.

Stir in broth, potatoes, carrots and reserved chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are just tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover pot and simmer until stew is thickened and potatoes and carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes more. Ladle stew into bowls and serve with flatbread on the side.

Bread recipe
(click above link to go to recipe for Flat bread)

Delicious and Spicy Stew!