July 28, 2023

Braised Chickpeas with Carrots, Dates + Feta

Rated 4.5 stars by 4 users

Servings

4-6

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours 55 minutes

Author:

Yotam Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi's original recipe instructs to soak the chickpeas for a good few hours to reach that soft texture. But we've adjusted this slightly to make it more Bold Bean Co friendly, as our beans are tender and creamy just as they are!

Ingredients

1 x 700g jar of Bold Bean Co Queen ChickPeas (or 2 x 400g tins)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
15 g coriander leaves, finely chopped
75 ml olive oil
1.5 tsp ground cumin
2 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
4 carrots, peeled and each cut at an angle into 2 or 3 large chunks (450g)
2 bay leaves
2 lemons, 2tbsp of the juice and 1½ tsp of the zest
120 g feta, roughly crumbled
1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
2 tbsp parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Serving Suggestions

Bulgur wheat
Cous Cous
Warm Flatbreads

Directions

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4.
Over a medium heat, add two tablespoons of oil to a large, heavy-based cast-iron pot with a lid. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, dates and tomato paste, and cook for a minute more until fragrant.
Add the drained chickpeas with their bean stock, carrots, bay leaves and 500ml of water and a good grind of black pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until the sauce has turned thick and rich. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste. Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving (this will also allow the mixture to thicken)
While the chickpeas are cooking, put the feta in a small bowl with the caraway, lemon zest, parsley and remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, and leave to marinade.
To serve, spoon the feta mixture over the chickpeas and serve directly from the cooking pot. Tuck in with flat breads or cous cous for a heartier affair.