What’s cookin? Sausage & Chickpea Stew with Marinara

This tasty stew has a kick to it, and is hearty and warming in the winter. Serves 5. Most prep can be done during the cooking, total prep + cooking time about 50 minutes.

Gluten- and dairy-free. Easily vegetarian/vegan by using a meat substitute for the Italian sausage and vegetable broth. Recipe inspired by Best of Fine Cooking “Comfort Food,” 2005.

Sausage & Chickpea Stew with Marinara

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausages (I used Ayrshire farm’s mild Italian)
1 large organic onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of organic garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh organic ginger, finely chopped
Salt
1 Tbs. sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 medium organic carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce
3 cups (two 15 1/2 oz. cans) cooked or canned organic chickpeas
2 Tbs. fresh organic lemon juice

Optional side: make a paste with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and chopped parsley, and spread it on french bread slices or pita wedges. Broil for about 5 minutes, and serve alongside the stew.

Instructions:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Prick the sausages several times and put them in the pot. Cook until well-browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic and ginger with the sausages. Season with salt and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes.

Add all the spices: paprika, coriander, red pepper flakes and cinnamon, and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, turn up the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the carrots are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the sausages to a cutting board. Add the marinara sauce and the chickpeas to the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered until the carrots are fully tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the sausages into bite-size pieces and return to the pot. Add the lemon juice, season to taste with salt, and voila!