Chickpea Ragout (Jacques Pépin)

Chickpea Ragout (Jacques Pépin)

This week, IHCC says bonjour to Chef Jacques Pépin! With over six decades of cooking classic French recipes, American favorites, and tempting dishes from all over the world, Chef Jacques Pépin has over twenty cookbooks and countless recipes, tips and cooking techniques, as well as a wide body of online recipes.

To say bonjour to him, I cook his Chickpea Ragout for lunch today and serve it with organic kelp noodles. My 20mo toddler enjoys eating it until he's too and starts throwing chickpeas as if he's playing with marbles. Hahaha!

Recipe by Jacques Pépin from Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way

Ingredients: 
(Serves 2) 

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 cup diced (1/2-inch) onion
1/2 cup chopped scallions (I used leek, cut into round slices)
2 cups diced (1-inch) tomato
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade (I used 2 cups)
2 green chilies, seeds removed, cut into thin slices


How to:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over high heat and add onion and leek. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the vegetables, then add the remaining ingredients.

2. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook gently for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and boil for a few minutes longer to reduce the liquid.

This dish is amazingly delicious! The green chilies are not hot at all and they add a nice crunch to the dish. The chickpeas are soft but they don't turn into a gooey mush. The leeks and onions are soft and delicious. The tomatoes give this dish such a lovely, appealing reddish-orange hue. I don't add salt and pepper because my toddler is eating this dish with me.

A nice note from Chef Jacques Pépin about this this: "A versatile dish, this is good as an accompaniment to fish, poultry, and meat, and it can also be served as a first course or, with a couple of fried eggs, as a light main course. It's great poured over pasta, and with the addition of a sausage such as kielbasa, it makes a whole meal. You can also substitute canned red or white beans for the chickpeas."

I can't wait to cook more of Chef Jacques Pépin's fabulous recipe! I have so much to learn from him. :)
 

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, Bonjour Jacques Pépin!