Try this Sicilian Pumpkin & Chickpea Stew recipe
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- olive oil
- 2 onions
- 1 butternut pumpkin (approx. 1.2kg)
- 1/2 unchfresh coriander
- 40 g raisins
- 1/2 easpoonground chili flakes (i omitted this for my
- 50 g mixed olives
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- couscous and natural yogurt to serve
- Carbohydrate 15.95059406784 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.5143724998875 g
- Fiber 2.05015002703667 g
- Protein 1.042935 g
- Saturated Fat 0.217726249984466 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (202g)
- Sodium 609.009864949998 mg
- Sugar 13.9004440408033 g
- Trans Fat 0.110730562496954 g
- Calories 75 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Peel the pumpkin, halve it and chop into 3cm pieces. Retain the seeds in a separate bowl. Toss pieces of pumpkin in olive oil, then season lightly and spread out on a roasting tray. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until golden and caramelized.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop onions and put into a casserole dish on low heat, with a lug of olive oil. Finely slice the coriander stalks and add to the pan, along with raisins and most of the cinnamon (and chili flakes, if using).
- Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of stock when needed.
- When the pumpkin is done, stir it all into the casserole dish, being careful not to squash the pumpkin - it looks better when it retains its shape.
- Bash the olives (and remove stones if they’re not pitted) and add to the pan with the tomatoes and chickpeas, juice and all.
- Add rest of stock, then turn up the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes with the lid off, or until lovely and thick, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, toss reserved pumpkin seeds with remaining cinnamon and chili flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper; spread out in the empty roasting tray and roast for around 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp, then put aside.
- 15 minutes before stew is ready, pop couscous into a bowl, just cover with boiling water (or you could use boiling stock – I tend to use half water, half stock). Put a plate on top and leave for 10 minutes for it to absorb. Fluff couscous with a fork, season, then tips onto a platter or individual serving plates. Spoon over the stew, serve with drizzled yogurt, scatter with coriander leaves and crispy seeds.
Roasting the pumpkin until edges show deep caramelization takes precisely 40 minutes at 190 degrees. Skipping this roasting window yields watery squash that dissolves completely into the sauce. Slow-cooking the onions for 20 minutes breaks down their cellular structure completely, forming the necessary thick base. Fold the roasted squash in gently at the end to maintain distinct structural integrity. When scaling this dish up for a crowd, keep the liquid ratio consistent per kilogram of squash.
Freezing and Reheating Strategy
This stew freezes exceptionally well for up to three months in airtight containers. Thaw the portions overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Warm the thawed mixture slowly in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, adding two tablespoons of water if the reduction became too dense during storage. Avoid boiling vigorously once the chickpeas are added to prevent them from breaking apart into mush.
- Pumpkin turns bitter if roasted above 200 degrees Celsius.
- Stir cautiously after adding tomatoes to preserve vegetable shapes.
- Roast separate seeds for exactly 10 minutes to achieve crispness.
