Root Vegetable Chickpea Stew

This is a hearty, satiating stew that will help get you through a cold winter day. The base is roasted and pureed cabbage and parsnip, which both have plenty of flavor. Then there are chunks of rutabaga, turnip, and carrot. Sometimes I also add potatoes, although I did not for this batch. The stew is simply spiced with coriander and cumin. Then it’s finished with lemon and parsley. It would also be great with cilantro.

Root Vegetable and Chickpea Stew (serves 6-8)

• 1/4 head green cabbage, cored and chopped into large pieces
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 oz of olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, small diced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 turnip, peeled cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 bunch of kale, thinly sliced
• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 2 oz lemon juice
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• parsley for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Toss cabbage and parsnip with 1 oz of olive oil. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are well-browned and almost charred.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining 1 oz of olive oil. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Sweat the onions and garlic.
3. Add the roasted cabbage and parsnip to the pot. Cover with 1 quart of water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, but an immersion blender is just easier here, and you don’t need it to be perfectly smooth.)
4. Add an additional 1.5 quarts (six cups) of water. Add the prepared carrots, rutabaga, turnip, and kale. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them in. Simmer for 35-40 minutes until the root vegetables are tender. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. Serve with additional lemon wedges and chili oil if desired.