Chickpeas in Ancho Chile Sauce.

Life in times of covid has definitely taught me a few lessons and I’m sure that everybody out there feels the same way!

I must say I found the first week of staying home quite difficult, specially because we found ourselves with flu like symptoms and we had to isolate a week before the lockdown started, this was definitely a hard feeling to digest when you are unprepared and confronted with an unreal situation.

Food was hard to get as everybody were panic buying an anticipating into the lockdown case scenario that we knew was inevitably coming. But something I wasn’t prepared for is the first time I was able to get out and buy food from the local supermarket and the shelfs were almost empty, this really did bring tears to my eyes, no fresh produce left and very little in terms of meat and fish, a huge eye opener for me.

But I must say if something we have a humans it’s being able to adjust and adapt into the uncertain, so I stopped worrying about the things I couldn’t get and work with what I did have and having any kind of pulses in your pantry either to cook from scratch or tinned ones is a life safer, it not only provides a good source of protein for your family but there is so many uses for them and things you can prepare, I have been fascinated by the use of pulses in baking I’m yet to explore that !.

Another life saver ingredient in my pantry is Mexican dried chillies, whether is pasilla, ancho or guajillo , they are ingredients that go a long way and I recommend to always have a few of these at home, plus they have a long shelf life which makes them an ideal pantry ingredient, these are now easier to get by I have even seen them in a few well known supermarkets, but also look for Mexican specialty shops online, there is a few out there.

With dried Mexican chillies you can always make a delicious rich sauce in no time, the way to use them is by first cleaning them with kitchen paper or a cloth as they may have a little dust over them, then toast them a bit over a hot pan (no oil necessary ) and just briefly enough for them to get slight colour and release their flavour, then soak into hot boiling water until soft (you may remove the stem now as it would come out easily), once soften up they are ready to be blended to make a sauce, add garlic and onion for more flavour, and perhaps a bit of vegetable or chicken stock , simmer and season with salt and pepper.

This preparation really is the beginning of many recipes, you can make enchiladas, or give flavour to a stock to make a soup (like you do with pozole) or like a did here make a delicious flavoursome sauce to smother those humble chickpeas and transform them into a complete hearty meal for your family.

Thankfully things have changed a bit since then and shopping habits are starting to go back to normal, but I will forever have extra pulses and dried chillies in my cupboard just in case.

Makes 4 portions.

Recommend to serve this with Mexican Rice and warm freshly made tortillas.

Ingredients:

5 ancho chilies. (You can use a bit of pasilla or guajillo in the mix too).

1 tbsp rapeseed oil, or any cooking oil of your preference.

3 vine tomatoes (roughly chopped).

100 grams cherry tomatoes (halved).

2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock.

1/2 white onion (roughly chopped).

1 fat garlic clove ( minced).

1 tbsp rapeseed oil.

1 yellow onion , (finely sliced).

1 carrot , (finely diced).

2 tins of cooked chickpeas ( drained ) .

1 bay leaf.

Sea salt and black pepper to season.

Garnish:

Ripe avocado slices.

150 ml of creme fraiche.

Method:

Begin by toasting your ancho chillies over a hot pan with no oil, just toast them lightly on each side to release their flavour (be careful not to burn them as they will taste bitter). Remove them from the pan and reserve.

In a medium sauce pan heat up the oil, then add the onion and garlic fry until the onion gets translucent, then add your tomatoes and let them cook slowly , stir from time to time . You can add your ancho chilies now (make sure to remove the stems) and fry lightly with the rest of the ingredients. Add you stock and let it simmer on a medium heat or until your chilies become soft, about 20 min.

Remove your pan from the heat and place the mixture into a blender, blend super smooth and reserve.

Add oil to a frying pan and fry your sliced onions slowly, then add your carrots and lastly the chickpeas, pour in your ancho chili sauce and stir , add a bay leaf and season with sea salt and black coarse pepper, stir and let it simmer gently until you sauce gets thicker, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, now is ready to be served.

Serve in a bowl with a side of Mexican rice and warm corn tortillas, garnish with scoops of avocado and creme fraiche, enjoy!