I've never, in years, gone so long without making anything truly new. I need a kick in the ass or something. If you know me, and there's something you like I've never made, send me an e-mail. I'll try it just for the novelty if nothing else.
Onto the food. Strongly flavored, spicy, warming, and bold, it was a great soup for a very very cold night.
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter
1 pound raw chicken cut into strips or cubes, I used chicken thigh
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp harissa (or hot curry paste if you're insanely lazy, I guess)
4 cups chicken stock
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (drained, rinsed)
salt and pepper to taste (don't be stingy, flavor is good)
finely chopped fresh parsley / cilantro mix for garnish
lemon wedges if you're cool
In a hot non-stick pan, add olive oil and then butter. Have chicken ready to immediately add to save the butter from scorching. Cook the chicken for several minutes, until it starts to brown. Remove and set aside, leaving as much of the oil/butter in the pan as possible.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan, cook for several minutes until softened but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes until now things begin to brown a little. Add the spices and the harissa and cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Toss in the chicken, and the chickpeas.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes or so, on low heat. Season with salt and pepper as you sample. Serve and garnish with your chopped green stuff. Use more then I did, I hardly had any left. :P
