Chickpea Stew with Yogurt

You know how it goes.  It's spring.  Things are growing.  It should be warm!  We should be grilling!  But then the sun goes down, or it starts raining.  All of a sudden, all you want to do is eat something warm, rich, and comforting... but it's still spring, so it shouldn't be too heavy!  This recipe was made for those days.

There are a few other things that make this dish great.  First off, I don't really like cream-based soup.  This is a great alternative that gives you that creamy depth without that greasy aspect that can sometimes accompany cream in soups.

Also (and this can depend on the time you have in advance), this is a great way to deal with a lot of the odds and ends you might have hanging around in your fridge.  I always seem to have one or two eggs left, or half a carton of Greek yogurt that I used for something else.  Or maybe the day before you had those few carrots, or stalks of celery, or some older onions, so you got to make some homemade vegetable broth.  Scale up or down based on what you have available.

Chickpea Stew with Yogurt

Based on Heidi Swanson's Chickpea Stew with Saffron, Yogurt, and Garlic

Makes 2 to 3 servings

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, diced or pressed

3/4 to 1 full can (15.5 oz) chickpeas

2 cups vegetable broth

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I like 2%, I'm sure full-fat would be delicious, but heavier)

sweet paprika

salt to taste

shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

- Chop onion and garlic, keep separate.  Drain and rinse chickpeas.

- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium to medium-low heat.  Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Season with a pinch or two of salt.

- While onion cooks, prepare the rest of ingredients.  Separate eggs and lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl.  Add yogurt and whisk together.

- Add garlic to onion and saute for one minute.

- Add chickpeas and saute for an additional minute.

- Add vegetable broth.  Increase heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat once you've reached simmer.

- Take a large ladle or about a 1/2 cup full of broth.  Stir slowly into egg/yogurt mixture, whisking constantly (basically tempering eggs.)  

- Once all combined, whisk all back into soup in saucepan.  Stir constantly over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Taste and season to taste.

- Serve in bowls and sprinkle with sweet paprika.  It can also be nice (but definitely not necessary) to sprinkle with a pinch of parmesan cheese.