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a chickpea and courgette stew

14/8/2013

25 Comments

 
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There are those who think that one tin of tomatoes is much like any other and that there's no need, therefore, to pay any more than the 31p or so that you'll get a can for in a supermarket's budget range. I am not one of those people. There's a difference between something being expensive and something being value for money. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of the humble tin of tomatoes. And especially so when you can get a tin of D.O.P. certified Pomodoro S. Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino beauties from Tesco for 50p a shot.
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This is a simple but delicious dish, great just as it is with some flatbread. But it goes great with a couple of lamb chops.

I like the Al'Fez brand of harissa, which I see Waitrose are selling at the moment for £1.34.

A 400g tin of chickpeas will give you about 240g when drained. If you want to cook dried chickpeas, 100g will give you about the equivalent when cooked.

serves 2-3
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tin tomatoes (the best you can afford)
approx. 240g (cooked weight) chickpeas
2 tsps harissa paste (or to taste)
a goodly pinch of ground cinnamon
2 courgettes, quartered lengthways, then cut into 20mm wide chunks
3 plump garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil
salt + black pepper


Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the onions. Meanwhile, tip the tomatoes and their juice into a pan and squish with your hands (or use a potato masher). Add the chickpeas, harissa and cinnamon. When they're ready, tip in the onions, give everything a stir and bring to a simmer.

Add another good splash of oil to the frying pan on a fairly high heat. Season the courgettes and fry them with the crushed garlic until nicely coloured. Add to the stew, stir, and continue to simmer for a few minutes. Check the stew for seasoning and serve in bowls.
25 Comments
Aaditee
14/8/2013 14:17:58

This sounds so nice! I really wish I had seen this earlier, because I had two cans of chickpeas that needed to be finished off.
For a change, I actually had ALL of the ingredients. Next week, methinks :-)
Thanks for the recipe!

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The Skint Foode
20/8/2013 12:19:27

Let me know what you think, if you got around to making it.

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Jean link
14/8/2013 14:20:59

I agree about the tinned tomatoes, I always buy a decent tin. I'll definitely try this recipe, just the type I like, thanks.

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Corinna Schicker link
14/8/2013 16:47:33

Hearty, lovely, gorgeous stew!! And for other top-budget value tinned tomatoes with fantastic taste l find Lidl's a real winner....

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 11:12:32

Thanks for the tip Corinna - I'll check them out.

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dave
7/11/2013 14:23:36

lidl tinned toms a few years ago where the Oserver Food magazines best tinned toms - I also think they where the only ones actually grown in Italy (at the time) as the rest where from Spain. Anyway here's another recommendation of them... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/10245837/Tinned-tomatoes-which-offer-best-value-for-money.html

john
14/8/2013 20:48:30

Hi Tony, I heard your story on the BBC world service this morning (I live in Australia) so I checked out your site looks good mate I will try a few recipes. Well done!

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:20:07

Thanks John!

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Jim
14/8/2013 21:49:25

Welcome back mate. Haven't been here for a few months as there didn't seem to be much activity, but good to see you up and blogging.

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:21:51

Thanks Jim. Went quiet for a bit back there. Thanks for checking in!

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Elizabeth link
15/8/2013 01:57:46

It's very true all tomatoes are not equal. I have also stopped buying the diced cans of tomatoes. They treat them with something awful which means they never disintegrate properly. Love the simple veggie stew - fast cheap and delicious

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mario
15/8/2013 03:24:15

gonna try this

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Robin link
15/8/2013 03:26:41

Lovely recipe. For chickpeas I always used dried soaked overnight with a peeled clove of garlic and then boiled until tender. Also the secret of good hummus - you are SO right about the tomatoes.

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:23:25

That's the great advantage of using dried chickpeas, isn't it - you can flavour the with whatever you fancy.

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Stacy link
15/8/2013 03:29:53

I was just having that very same tinned tomato conversation with my mother. The Italian ones are always worth the extra money!

Love this healthy, tasty and filling stew! You've got some beautiful colors going on there as well.

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:24:33

Thanks Stacy. Every now and then I surprise myself with a half decent photo. :0)

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emily link
15/8/2013 05:24:39

I think it depends what the dish is going to be when it comes to tinned toms. For example I buy the dirt cheap tins when I make things such as curry's for just a base but when it comes to a casserole where you really wanna taste the tomatoes I think the little bit more expansive ones are great :D

Lovely recipe by the way. I think I may just make this next week as me and my boyfriend are having a few meat free days for health benefits and money benefits ;D

Emily.

http://millylovesblog.blogspot.co.uk/

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Sue link
15/8/2013 10:24:02

When the difference in cost of a meal is just a few pence, and for those few extra pence you get so much more flavour and enjoyability,. I usually find it's worth to 'splash the cash'.

If you can afford it of course. If you can't and you have some, a good squeeze of tomato puree would enrich the cheaper tin of tomatoes.

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:25:40

Or ketchup!

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Chiara link
19/8/2013 09:06:01

This sounds delicious. I have a tendency to put courgettes in everything - they are just so tasty!

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The Skint Foodie
20/8/2013 12:26:27

They are one of my faves!

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AnneW link
23/8/2013 12:33:41

A great recipe! I always have a glut of courgettes from my veg garden as I cannot just reign in and plant one plant, but always end up with about 6 plants and more bloody courgettes than I know what to do with. I have spent the last 8 years building up a good library of courgette recipes (from fritters, to curries, to tarts, to cakes ad nauseum.......) But I think this one may well end up in the top 20 as it is wonderfully simple and very tasty!

I do agree that the very best tinned toms are good for this kind of dish. The Harissa is great but I guess you could always substitute with some chopped chillies (I've got a glut of chillies too!!) Nice to see you back and blogging :-)

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Catherine
29/8/2013 05:40:12

Hi Mr. SF,
Because it is tomato season now I have been throwing all sorts of fresh tomatoes together in a pan with some olive oil and butter and stewing them down to make a glorious mess. Lidl has had some good deals on vine tomatoes. Sometimes I just have them on toast, spread with marmite and butter. Add basil if available.

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Ashley Thomas
31/8/2013 01:10:16

I don't know if you get B&M down south but in there they sell Cirio tins of tomatoes for 31p. I'd go as far saying they're the best.

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Oxford Style link
10/9/2013 09:02:23

Have been making this once a week with lamb steaks marinated in harissa. It's even more delicious after a few days in the fridge. Thanks for the recipe.

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