Soup Series: Lamb and Chickpea Chili
I'll be upfront - this one doesn't fall into the "soup" category. It barely had enough sauce to fall into the "chili" category, despite its appearance in the February 2011 Chili edition of Eating Well Magazine. The lack of sauce may have been my fault, as I could have used slightly larger tomatoes, which would have cooked down into a, well, saucier sauce.
Never mind all that. If you like lamb - and frankly, what isn't there to like about lamb? - you need to try this. You just do. It is full of awesome and made my lunches this week a very happy experience.
Now, if you have no access to ground lamb, I suppose you could make this with straight up ground turkey instead. It won't be the same. But I'm sure it will still be good. Just not great.
A note about heat - the recipe calls for harissa. I did not put very much effort into finding harissa, instead electing to use aleppo pepper. The end result had a very nice heat to it and I highly recommend that as an option as well.
Lamb and Chickpea Chili
1 TBSP canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces ground lamb
8 ounces 93% lean ground turkey
3/4 tsp salt
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
2 TBPS harissa or 1 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro or mint
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add lamb, turkey and salt and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and are beginning to break down, about 4 minutes more. Add chickpeas, harissa and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Serve garnished with cilantro or mint.
I ate this up on top of rice one day and it was fabulous. Other times, I ate it with warmed whole wheat pita, and that was delicious as well.
Never mind all that. If you like lamb - and frankly, what isn't there to like about lamb? - you need to try this. You just do. It is full of awesome and made my lunches this week a very happy experience.
Now, if you have no access to ground lamb, I suppose you could make this with straight up ground turkey instead. It won't be the same. But I'm sure it will still be good. Just not great.
A note about heat - the recipe calls for harissa. I did not put very much effort into finding harissa, instead electing to use aleppo pepper. The end result had a very nice heat to it and I highly recommend that as an option as well.
Lamb and Chickpea Chili
1 TBSP canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces ground lamb
8 ounces 93% lean ground turkey
3/4 tsp salt
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
2 TBPS harissa or 1 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro or mint
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add lamb, turkey and salt and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and are beginning to break down, about 4 minutes more. Add chickpeas, harissa and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Serve garnished with cilantro or mint.
I ate this up on top of rice one day and it was fabulous. Other times, I ate it with warmed whole wheat pita, and that was delicious as well.