Moroccan Chickpeas

Last weekend on my way to mountain biking, I was listening to Milk Street Radio, a great cooking show on Saturday WHYY radio.  They asked an Indian chef, Vikram Vij what she would cook on a simple weeknight.  She described a nice vegetarian chickpea curry in about 3-4 sentences which seemed so simple, wholesome, delicious and most importantly - fast!  I hopped on my bike and as I rode I worked out how I would make this dish, and it went something like this.
1 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp Ras el Hanout, Moroccan spice blend
1 tsp ground cumin

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 can coconut cream (I used Trader Joe’s)

Sauté the onion and carrot for about 5-8 minutes in a medium pot.

Add the drained tomatoes and cook another 8-10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste to the veggies and cook about 5 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens up a bit and enriches its flavor.

Remove mixture to a bowl.  Add a dash of oil to the pot and toss in the garlic and ginger.

Cook about 2-3 minutes. Add the Das el Hanout powder and cook another minute, stirring constantly.

Return the tomato mixture to the pot along with the chick peas.

Add the coconut cream and the reserved tomato liquid. Add enough water (only if necessary) to make a nice stew consistency.

Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, stir, and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes to develop the flavor - just about enough time to make some rice.

Serve with rice. Serves 4-6.

Cook's Note:  This is a quick dish directly from the pantry - a real fast weeknight dinner.

If you do not have Das el Hanout, just use whatever curry spices or garam masalas you do have.  You could mix 1/2 Tbsp cumin with 1/2 Tbsp turmeric, 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander and 1/2 Tbsp smokey pimenton paprika, for example.