I've been on hiatus from this list for about a year now, and am really glad
to be back with all the good discussions, ideas and recipes. To celebrate,
I thought I'd post our absolute favorite recipe using basil. Its a
wonderfully
warm stew with lots of tomatoes, chickpeas, potatoes, and a full cup of fresh
basil leaves. We usually cook up a batch of ff cornbread to go with.
This recipe originally comes from a cookbook called "All the Best Potatoes"
by
Joie Warner, which is neither fatfree nor veggie, but has some good potato
cooking techniques. The recipe originally call for 1/4 c. olive oil for
sauteeing,
and grated Paremsan cheese for sprinkling over the stew, but neither are
necessary. Enjoy!!
Chickpea and Potato Stew
1 med. onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
28-oz can Italian plum or stewed tomatoes, *undrained*
2 large Russet potatoa (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2 inch cubes, no larger
19-oz can chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion, garlic, and pepper flakes in a little water until soft, about 2
minutes.
Add tomatoes and their liquid, potatoes, chickpeas, 1/4 c. of the fresh
basil, dried
basil, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low,
cover,
and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is
thickened.
Just before serving, stir in the remaining basil.
Serves 6 (or 2 hungry folks with a little leftover for lunch the next day).
My comments:
1. Cutting the pototoes into small pieces is important; otherwise it
takes too long to cook.
2. I also only stir in enough fresh basil for our evening meal,
saving some to go with the leftovers. The next day, I just
microwave the stew, and stir in the fresh basil after its been heated.
3. I've never included the dry basil, as the fresh basil adds a wonderfully
aromatic taste and scent that would likely overwhelm any of the dried basil.
4. A little ff parmesan cheese on top, or maybe even nutiritional yeast might
be good if you are so inclined, but we usually don't miss it at all.
Bon appetit!
T. Sconyers
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