Chickpea, butternut squash and chorizo slow cooked spiced stew

A lovely autumn slow cooked stew, full of flavour and rich in protein and fibre.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

The day before cooking the stew, put the dry chickpeas in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Water level should be around 7cm above the level of the chickpeas, as they will absorb most of it and will about double in size. Put a lid on the pot and soak them overnight.

Step 2

After soaking, the chickpeas would have grown in size and absorbed a good part of the water. Throw away the remaining water, rinse them well, and put them back in the pot. Put fresh water in, level should be 2-3 cm above the chickpea level and put them back in the pot, and bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 1 hour. Check regularly while simmering, and skim out any foam that forms on top with a slotted spoon, as it can add a bitter taste if left in.

Step 3

While the chickpeas simmer, cut 2 squashes in half, de-seed them with a metal spoon (keep the spoon handy, as you will use it later), put them on a microwave safe dish and oil all the exposed flesh. Microwave them until the flesh gives to a gentle finger prod (15-20 minutes per squash). Let them cool slightly.

Step 4

While the squash cooks, we’ll make a simple sofrito: heat 1 tbsp of canola oil (rapeseed, or other neutral veg oil) in a pan a,d add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Fry them at medium heat until soft, but without colouring them.

Step 5

Add the tomato paste, paprika and turmeric, mix well and fry them for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the heat and put the sofrito to the side.

Step 6

Scoop and scrape the flesh with the spoon from all 4 halves. Discard the skin.

Step 7

Mash the flesh with a fork. You can ease the mashing adding a couple of spoonfuls of the chickpea cooking liquid.

Step 8

Once the chickpeas have simmered for 1 hour, uncover, pick out any remaining surface foam, reduce heat to low, add 2tbsp of vegetable oil, add the sofritto, the freshly ground cumin, the bay leaves and the liquid smoke, season with msg, salt and pepper and stir to dissolve it all and mix it in. If necessary, add water to just above the chickpea level and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 9

Add the mashed squash to the pot and stir it in. Add the mild Spanish chorizo cubes. Keep the simmer going until chickpeas are cooked (30-45 min). Stir regularly and add water to just above the chickpea level, if necessary.

Step 10

Peel and cut in 1/2cm cubes the remaining 1/2 squash. Place in a microwave safe bowl, season, add a splash of oil, and mix to ensure all cubes are coated. Microwave in high for 5 minutes. Cubes should be softer but still firm

Step 11

Air fry the squash cubes for 5 minutes at 200C. This will sweeten them and further cook them.

Step 12

Once the chickpeas and chorizo cubes are cooked, add the squash cubes and stir. While stirring, pick out the bay leaves, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. You can eat it right away, but I find that letting it cool down covered intensifies the flavours. If it can go to the fridge for a couple of hours, even better. Then reheat and serve. You can also hold back a few squash cubes to put on top of the bowls of stew as garnish, and decorate with a couple of fresh parsley leaves. Enjoy!