Recipe courtesy of:
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Tunisian Bean and Chickpea Stew

1 cup dried navy beans (I used cannellini), soaked overnight and drained*
1 cup chickpeas (garbanzos), soaked overnight and drained*
6 cups water
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped, or one 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups raw pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2-4 tsp. harissa (buy it at Middle Eastern stores or make it yourself)
1 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, for garnish (optional)

*I never plan ahead, so of course I didn't have presoaked beans. I did the fast soak in the pressure cooker instead: cover the beans and chickpeas by about 2 inches of water in your p.c., bring it up to high pressure, and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure. Then allow the pressure to come down naturally. Drain and proceed with the recipe.

Place the drained beans and chickpeas into the pressure cooker with the water. Bring to high pressure and cook for 12 minutes. Allow pressure to come down naturally. (On the stove-top, cook until the beans are soft, adding more water as necessary. Allow about 2 hours for this.)

While the beans are cooking, spray a non-stick or well-seasoned frying pan, and sauté onions until they are beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes, and cook for another 10 minutes ( 5 minutes for canned tomatoes). Add the tomato mixture, pumpkin, harissa, and seasonings to the beans, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat until pumpkin is very tender, about 30 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Serve sprinkled with parsley. Makes 8-10 servings.

The book says to serve this with rice, but I used whole wheat couscous. Honestly, it was better without any grain. It has a light, delicate, almost sweet taste that gets lost if diluted by too much grain. I liked it best as a soup, with a little extra harissa stirred in.

Copyright 2006 Susan Voisin and Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
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