It Wasn't Pretty - In Defense of Chickpea Stew

I imagine this is what they put in Oliver's bowl when he asked, "Please, sir, may I have some more?" Needless to say, attractive it was not.

But was it good? check. Easy? check. Did we just turn off the lights while we ate and watched "A Fish Called Wanda?" check. So it's all good.

Recently, I became the proud owner of a slow cooker a.k.a crockpot, and it may be my new favorite kitchen toy. Basically, I put a bag of dried chick peas in the slow cooker with about 5 cups of water and let them simmer until they got light and fluffy. It takes about 8 hours, and I would recommend checking them every couple of hours to make sure there is enough liquid remaining. Once they are soft add chicken stock and mash with an immulsion blender (also a favorite kitchen toy). Add about a cup and a half more of chicken stock and stir. Then I added chopped green pepper, cooked spicy sausage, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion and garlic powder. Let it simmer for a couple more hours. Put in bowls and top with a dash of olive oil. Serve with simple green salad. Voila! Simple, delicious chickpea stew!

Sorry, no pictures available :-)