A quick-to-make chorizo chickpea stew
I know you ordinarily associate the word “stew” with hours of slow cooking. But in today’s dish, it’s a 15 minute simmer and the end result is something that resembles a stew to me. So although we’ve made it in a fraction of the time, I’m sticking with the name! Despite the speed, you will not feel robbed of flavour by any stretch of the imagination thanks to chorizo, the powerful little flavour packed Spanish sausages that are the hero of today’s dish. (Sorry chickpeas, but it’s true). We sauté chorizo slices until golden brown before braising in a tomato-based stew sauce for a mere 15 minutes to infuse the sauce with chorizo flavour. Chickpeas add bulk and texture to the dish, and I love how they too absorb the chorizo flavour!
What you need
Here’s what you need for this chorizo chickpea stew:
Chorizo – The well seasoned cured sausage from Spain is the hero of the dish today (sorry chickpeas!). You get great bang for your buck with chorizo – so much flavour packed into a little sausage. Find them at the deli or in the cured meats section of the fridge. Alternatives – Any smoked sausage (like kranskey’s, German sausages etc). Tip – Get extra and make everybody’s favourite smoked sausage and rice, or a big paella! Chickpeas – We’re just going canned today, for convenience, for this quick ‘n easy meal. Just crack open that can! Crushed tomato – This is already kind of smushed so it breaks down more easily into a thick sauce compared to, say, diced tomato which has larger chunks. Diced tomato will work too though, you just may want to simmer for a bit longer to let them break down a bit. If you only have whole canned tomato, crush them with your hands or use a potato masher before putting the pot. Chicken stock/broth – I like to use low sodium so I can control the salt in this. We do get quite a bit of salt from the chorizo so it really is better to use low-salt stock. Vegetable stock also works, but chicken stock does give the stew sauce deeper flavour. Bay leaf, thyme and smoked paprika – Herb and spice flavours for the sauce. Sautéed with the chorizo to bring out toasty flavour before adding the liquids. Great trick to get more flavour into your dishes – toast those herbs and spices! Garlic – This dish was never going to happen without garlic!
How to make chorizo chickpea stew
Stew-like results with stir-fry speed! OK, fine, that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration. It takes longer than a stir-fry. 😂 But it’s MUCH faster than traditional stews!!! Alternatives – Any smoked sausage (like kranskey’s, German sausages etc). Tip – Get extra and make everybody’s favourite smoked sausage and rice, or a big paella! Vegetable stock also works, but chicken stock does give the stew sauce deeper flavour. Sauté the chorizo until golden. Toast the spices for 1 minute. Tip in the chickpeas and tomato then simmer for 15 minutes. Stew. Done! Serve with crusty bread for dunking, for a quick ‘n easy meal (suggestion: everybody’s favourite no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread), or flatbreads for scooping. Alternatively, serve it over a starchy vehicle of choice, such as mashed potato (mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option), couscous or small pasta (like orzo/risoni, orecchiette, small macaroni). For a quick salad or vegetable side, use whatever greens you have in the fridge, raw or steamed, and toss with my Everyday Salad Dressing. Or browse all vegetable sides to find something that inspires! Dinner. Done. How fast was that??? And just wait until you taste it! You are going to be amazed how much flavour is packed into that pot of stewy deliciousness for such an easy dish. Such is the miracle of chorizo. So much power packed into one little sausage. Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Life of Dozer
When Dozer visited One Meal Northern Beaches early one morning before the volunteers started arriving (this was 6 am!). This is where the meals we make at RecipeTin Meals (my food bank) is donated during the week. I have a team of 3 full time cooks (chef + 2 kitchen hands) who make homemade meals from scratch, 5 days a week. Many recipes from this website! 🙂
