This is a store-cupboard/vegetarian riff on my sausage, lentil and chickpea stew in Winter in Tuscany and I have been eating it a lot in the past couple of weeks since the temperatures dropped in Florence. This makes four decent portions, I normally have one and then freeze the rest in portioned freezer bags once it has cooled down. When I defrost a portion, I sometimes add 200ml water or stock to the pan and once the stew is defrosted and bubbling chuck in a handful of broken up pieces of spaghetti (as in the recipe pic) and let these bubble away in the stew until they’re cooked for as long as it says on the packet. But it is equally good without any pasta in it at all.
Minestra di lenticchie, ceci e rosmarino
LENTIL, CHICKPEA & ROSEMARY STEW
Serves 4
as seen in
Amber's Kitchen Diaries Substack
ingredients
- 2 x 400g giant chickpeas – keep the water
- 400g tin precooked lentils – keep the water
- 1 onion (red, golden or white all fine), finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- A large handful of rosemary sprigs – leaves removed and finely chopped
- 1 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon tomato concentrate
- Pinch Chilli flakes, optional
- 200ml water or stock
- Handful of stelline, filline or broken up spaghetti – optional
- Salt
To serve
- Olive oil
- Parmesan
method
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat a couple of glugs of olive oil and add the onions to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Leave to cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, celery and rosemary. Stir and leave to gently cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato concentrate, stir through and cook for a couple of minutes, add the liquid from the chickpeas and lentils. Leave to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the water or stock, along with the tinned tomatoes and fill the empty can with water, swirl around and pour in the tomatoey water along with a generous pinch of salt. Break up the tomatoes with the end of a spoon and leave to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chickpeas and lentils. Leave to cook over a medium heat, uncovered, for another 15 minutes so that it is gently bubbling. If the pan looks like it is drying out, add a splash more water, but I like the liquid to be quite reduced.
Serve in shallow bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil and lots of parmesan.
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