Watts Cooking?

Recently, I have continued my task of trying to find healthy recipe that are hearty enough for cold January evenings, but healthy enough for shedding Christmas pounds. This recipe fit the bill exactly. It was a lovely chickpea ragout that I had remembered seeing it in a Canada Living from the past, and it caught my eye again when Vincci from Ceci N'est Pas Un Foodblog lent me a Canadian Living cookbook she received.

It was perfect. The base of the recipe is very similar to a summery ratatouille, with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. However, the chickpeas and touch of spice from the hot peppers are a welcomed addition and make the dish feel heartier. I couldn't have thought of a better thing to serve it with than polenta. This is what Canadian Living suggested, and I wholeheartedly agreed. I am a huge fan of polenta, especially the creamy variety, but using the polenta rounds had more bite and texture than creamy polenta, and was a good match for this ragout.


Of course, you know  how crazy I am about pulses, so it was no wonder that I absolutely fell in love with the recipe. But it was somewhat of a wonder that some of the pickier members of my family  (who claim not to like any beans, especially not chickpeas) also gobbled it up greedily.

And of course chickpeas are a great wonderfood. Like most other pulses, they're a great source of lean protein and are packed with cancer-preventing fibre. They even have plenty of zinc and folate too! Combine that with all the other vegetables in the dish and I think you would be hard pressed to find anything better. I think we could all benefit from eating vegetarian meals every once and a while, myself included; in fact that's one of my goals for 2008. (Although this has been on my mind since the ratatouille I first made in October) While I don't think I need to go completely vegetarian (and don't think I could!), there's no harm in becoming a little less meat-centric. With this dish, it could be a tasty transition!




Recipe - Chickpea Ragout with Polenta
Adapted from Canadian Living, April 2007
Serves 4

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Half small eggplant, diced (2 cups)
1 small zucchini, diced (1 cup)
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch each salt and hot pepper flakes
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (Note: I didn't really like the parsley in the dish and won't use it next time, but that's a personal thing)
1 tube (500 g) prepared polenta, cut into 8 rounds
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

In shallow Dutch oven, or a thick-bottomed pot, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Fry the eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and hot pepper flakes. Stir occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato paste. Cover and simmer until thickened and vegetables are softened (about 15 minutes). Stir in parsley.

Meanwhile, brush the polenta with remaining oil: sprinkle with cheese (if using). Arrange on rimmed baking sheet; broil, 6 inches (15 cm) from heat, until edges are golden, about 6 minutes. Serve with ragout.