Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and kosher Serves 4
About 20 ounces fresh mushrooms (sauteed morels would be great too, if less dramatic – don’t grill ’em!)
Extra-virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt
1 large white onion, minced
6 tablespoons regular tomato paste)
8 cloves minced garlic
Nice big pinch saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups cooked chickpeas (preferably home cooked)
Freshly ground black pepper
Thinly sliced green garlic or scallions
Sea salt or other finishing salt
Preheat the oven to 450. Cut the mushrooms in bite size pieces. Toss them with a little olive oil and a couple pinches of salt and saute until tender. Time will really depend on the size of the mushrooms.
Meanwhile, put a generous 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato paste, garlic, saffron, smoked paprika, sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion and tomato have turned a nice rust color.
Add the wine and scrape (deglaze) the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the lovely browned tasty bits. Add the chickpeas, find a low simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes. Add water as needed to create a saucy consistency. It should definitely not be dry, but neither are we making soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Besides salt, it might need more smoked paprika.
Set your serving bowls or plates aside to warm up. Heat a grill pan over high heat.
When you are ready to serve, give the chickpea stew one last adjustment for taste and texture and divide among the serving bowls. Top with some freshly ground black pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the mushrooms on top of the chickpeas. Garnish with the green garlic and sea salt and serve immediately.
