SPICY CHICKPEA, PEPPER AND SAUSAGE STEW

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, to drizzle

• 2 onion, finely chopped

• 3 sticks celery, sliced

• 4 carrots, peeled and diced

• 1 red pepper, roasted and finely chopped

• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

• 2-3 pinches salt

• 1 kg pork sausages, skin removed

• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

• 1 400g tin chopped Italian tomatoes

• 2 tsp tabasco sauce, to taste

• 1/4 cup white wine

• 1 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp ground paprika

• 1 x 400 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• black pepper, milled

• fresh parsley or coriander, chopped

• 1 120g tub tzatziki

Cooking Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into chunks and cook in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, celery, carrots and red pepper and cook, over a brisk heat, until just softened. Add the chilli, garlic and salt and cook for another minute, without allowing the garlic to brown. Tip onto a plate and set aside.

3. Add the whole sausages to the same pan and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, or until their skins are brown and burnished. Drain the excess fat from the pan, leaving the sausages behind, and use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip each sausage into three pieces.

4. Add the vinegar and stir briskly to loosen any sediment on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce, tinned tomatoes, tabasco, white wine, cumin, paprika and chickpeas. Cook at a lively bubble, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

5. Drain the potatoes and add them to the stew, along with a ladleful or two of the boiling water in which you cooked them – just enough to create a rich gravy. Turn down the heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes, adding more hot water if necessary. Season generously with pepper and more salt if required.

6. Serve hot, topped with chopped fresh parsley and a dollop of cold tzatziki.

#spicy #chickpeas #pepper #sausage #stew