LET'S MAKE THE STEW!

So, as passionate as I may be in my own kitchen, I have to confess that I don't actively follow too many food bloggers, not to talk about food trends. In general, I don't usually follow trends too much, so when ever something happens to cross my path randomly (even if it was a super old trend already and I'm barely finding out about it) I take it as a sign from the universe.

"Niina, check this out." (That is the voice of the universe)

So the other day I was searching something compeltely different in the wonderful world of internet, when I stumbled upon this recipe of The Stew. Apparently it is a recipe that became huge last year, originally by New York Times chef Alison Roman.

Then what is The Stew and why is it so special? I saw some pictures in Instagram with the tag #thestew and I don't know, just felt like I really need to try it out. Also a quick check in the ingredients list made me pretty convinced it would be a dish I could only love: garlic, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk... Say no more!

The main ingredient of The Stew is chickpea. The flavor base is made with onion, garlic and ginger, and of course, plenty of olive oil. Spices are pretty simple: salt, pepper, turmeric and chili. The "secret" of the stew is that it combines the crispy (or more like crunchy) chickpeas with the soft and mushy ones, so you get kinda two in one with this dish. The stew needs to be cooked slowly, until the chickpeas are starting to break and this way give more structure and flavor to the stew.

I kinda love the idea of this dish, because I think it's one of those dishes that are "accidentally vegan." So basically someone came up with a recipe, delicious and complete, without realizing that it actually doesn't need any animal products at all! (I like the idea of plant-based food being called just food, and not always vegan food.)

Today I made this dish the first time ever, and yes, fell desperately in love right away. Definitely gonna keep on making it in the future. The only difference I made from the original recipe is that I didn't have "the green part" that is supposed to be added in the end, so I added some basil instead, just a bit on top. And it actually worked pretty nicely! Since "the green" was missing, I cooked some rice and ate the stew with the rice, which I can also recommend, even if you added all the green parts.

Anyway, I hope you are ready. Here comes the recipe!

THE STEW by Alison Roman (4-5 servings)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger, chopped
salt
black pepper
1,5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried chili flakes
2 cans chickpeas
2 cans full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch Swiss chard/spinach/kale
1 cup mint leaves (or basil leaves)

for serving: yogurt and toasted pita bread (optional)

1. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Heat the olive oil in a pan or large pot and add the chopped ingredients into the pan.
2. Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add turmeric, chili flakes and the chickpeas. Add some salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chickpeas start getting crispy. Take about one cup of chickpeas aside for garnish.
4. With a wooden spoon, crush some of the chickpeas a little more and then add the coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until the stew starts to thicken.
5. Finally add the greens into the stew, and depending on what you're using, cook for 3-7 minutes more (spinach and Swiss chard cook fast, kale a little slower)
6. Divide the stew into bowls, and top with the reserved chickpeas, mint/basil leaves and vegan yogurt (or extra coconut milk). Enjoy with cooked rice or toasted pita bread.

Did you try to make The Stew? Leave a comment below :)

CORN CHOWDER

It's time to share the very first recipe of this blog. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you: The corn chowder.

Now, I don't know about you guys but I absolutely love home cooked food, and especially soups! There's something about soups that makes me feel I'm really eating something that was made from scratch, with lots of love, in a home kitchen. Which, nowadays, in the era of fast food and instant meals, seems to be something not to be taken for granted.

Corn chowder is not something I was used to eat since my childhood though, I actually tasted it for the first time last year when I first made it. But definitely it will be something I keep making from now on. I'd be lying if I said it's the easiest soup ever to prepare, it takes a little time and effort, but once you've made it, you won't be disappointed.

Here's the recipe.

CORN CHOWDER (3-4 servings)

1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2-3 carrots
3-4 potatoes
2 cups yellow corn (frozen or canned)
1 cube vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons corn starch (Maizena)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
water

1. Chop the onion and celery into small cubes, mince the garlic and cook with olive oil in a soup pot, with low heat, some 5-10 minutes.
2.Chop the carrots and the potatoes into small cubes, add them into the pot with the spices, and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add water and vegetable broth and let cook until the vegetables are almost fully cooked.
4. Add yellow corn.
5. Make a mixture of corn starch and cold water and add it into the soup slowly, stirring the soup with a spoon at the same time.
6. Finally add coconut milk and salt.

Serve the corn chowder with some full grain bread, and make sure to enjoy it the next day too, when it usually tastes even better!

If you try out this recipe, let me know how you liked it in the comments below :)