Description
With a touch of cinnamon and mint, this stew is cozy, bright, and so aromatic.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 large bell peppers, chopped. You pick the colors. I like green peppers in this stew, but red, orange or yellow would be great too.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced. Use a microplane zester or garlic press to mince it.
- 3 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped.
- 1 16 oz cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 16 oz can of white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 26.46 oz box of Pomi Strained Tomatoes or a 28 oz can of tomato puree
- 13 oz or a generous 1-1/2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) of white wine or a couple of splashes of dry vermouth (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of vegetable broth
- Drizzle of honey or about a tsp of sugar to balance the acid in the tomatoes.
- 1 tsp of dried oregano. Rub it between your fingers to release the flavor.
- 1/2 tsp of dried marjoram (optional)
- 1/2 tsp of dried mint
- 2 dried bay leaves, remember to remove them before serving.
- A couple of pinches of ground cinnamon
- Olive oil for cooking and drizzling
- Sea salt or kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- To Serve: freshly chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, a drizzle fruity olive oil, yogurt, pita bread, bulgur wheat or quinoa
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or an oven safe pot with a lid, sauté the onions and bell pepper on medium to medium high heat with some olive oil, salt and pepper. It helps to cover the pot. Add a little water if you don’t want to use too much oil to sauté them.
- Once the pepper and onions are soft, add the potatoes, garlic, chickpeas, white beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, wine/vermouth, sugar, dried herbs, spices, bay leaves and more salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil. Immediately turn down the heat, simmer, covered for about 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After 5 minutes of stove top simmering, place the pot in the oven and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. When the stew is finished cooking, remove bay leaves. Adjust the salt and pepper. Also add a pinch more of dried oregano, mint and cinnamon. Serve with any of the suggestions listed in serving options above. Enjoy!
Notes
- Both oregano and mint retain their flavor once dried.
- They’re perfect in this stew.
- Regular baking potatoes are added to give the stew some body and substance.
- The starch in the potatoes helps thicken the sauce, producing a rich and satisfying stew with no added fat.
- I love Pomi Tomato products for their unmatched clean, garden-ripe taste.
- They come in a box instead of a can.
- If you can’t find them, good quality tomato puree is fine too.
- The stew is started on the stove and finished in the oven for even cooking and a delicious, homey flavor.
- Wine gives another layer of flavor to this dish.
- I often don’t want to open a bottle to use in a recipe so I keep a bottle of dry or extra dry vermouth in the fridge.
- I use vermouth in place of white wine in most of my savory dishes.
- You can also omit the wine or vermouth with good results.
- Finish it with a drizzle of good olive oil, a dollop of Greek yogurt and/or some freshly chopped parsley.
- If you’re serving a crowd, some olives, feta and pita bread rounds out the meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 290