Winter Vegetable Stew

Ian Knauer

From ianknauer.com

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Ingredients

• 1 pound dried chickpeas
• 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (1 1/2) 2 teaspoons ground coriander? Wait—Correction: Salt and pepper to taste?
  Note: Original: "(11/2)2" and later "salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper" in instructions. The corrected interpretation: 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 large butternut squash, cut into large chunks
• 6 carrots, cut into chunks
• 8 pitted dates, chopped
• 3 cups water
• 1 quart canned tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves

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Instructions

1

Place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover by 3 inches of water. Let the chickpeas soak overnight, then drain.

2

Cut the leeks in half crosswise, then rinse under cold water to remove any dirt. Cut the leeks into 1/2-inch pieces.

3

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot, then stir in the leeks, garlic, onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, about 8 minutes.

4

Stir in the coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

5

Stir in the squash, carrots, dates, water, and tomatoes and bring to a boil, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the chickpeas and simmer the stew, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour.

6

Season the stew to taste with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.