Lets face it.

It’s cold out.

And I have exactly what you need.

Ok,

I don’t.

But I do have a recipe!

Chickpeas.

There is evidence of chickpeas in the Middle East for as far as 10,000 years ago. A fact that might explain the strong relationship of the Middle East with this legume.

It was only a year ago, that I encountered fresh chickpeas for the first time, only to realize they were growing all around me…

if you ever happen to get your hands on some fresh chickpeas still inside their beautiful pod, soak them in water for about 2 hours, drain, sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven until they get a nice golden color! There you go, the perfect snack.

Well, lets get back to the reason we are here!

Short ribs and chickpea stew…

need I say more?

Enjoy!

Short Ribs And Chickpea Stew

2 cups dried chickpeas

1200g short ribs

2 chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

1 tbsp. spicy paprika

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. tomato paste

a night ahead-

soak chickpeas in a large bowl with  2 tbsp. of salt.

On the day of preparation-

Rinse chickpeas well with water, and place in a large pot with 9 cups of water. Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are ‘just’ tender.

Cut the short ribs into cubes, and sear in a pot with a touch of oil. Make sure you sear the bones as well, as they have pieces of both fat and meat on them that will give great flavor. Make sure you always sear a small amount of meat in the pot. Set aside the seared meat.

In the same pot, caramelize the onions. Once they get that nice brownish color, add the paprika and black pepper, the seared meat and bones, and mix well.

Add 3 cups of boiling water, Once the content of the pot gets to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 60 minutes till the meat has soften.

Combine both pots together.

add salt and the tomato paste. Mix well.

Cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours on low heat.

After 2 hours, Remove lid and boil for 20 minutes,

to let the sauce thicken.

Just make sure you have good bread around the house when eating this stew, you will need a lot of bread to soak up those yummy juices.