a comfort food kind of week. {morrocan chick pea stew.}

it has been so unbelievably cold around here.
i think wednesday was the coldest day of my life. ever. i'm not joking.
even right now my fingers are finging it hard to find the keys and they are cold and slow moving. we have heat on, we have the fire on, this is costing us a fortune but we just can't seem to get warm! i have been wearing my ugg boots around like slippers because that is my solution to slippers right now.

i am still in awe...and guess it has been the situation for the past three winters....at how cold it gets here. the basic concept for the past week has been to somehow get warm and stay that way. i just could not do it...except when i was lying in bed under three blankets - no joke.  i should circle this time of year well in advance on the calender and be prepared.
but i never am.
it always takes me by surprise. and then i whine and complain.
today though we seem to have been given a small reprieve. it's supposed to warm up, rain, 60 to 80 km winds, drop back down to -17 by saturday and snow.
wait....what?

this is the kind of week you book a surprise trip to the Caribbean and hide for two weeks.
i wish...instead we booked our trip for vancouver this summer. bummer. {not about vancouver...about not leaving THIS MINUTE to tropical greatness!}

and tony thinks we will lose the rink.
:(
except.....that he sings this tune numerous times a season and we are able to save it till late february every time so we will wait and see on that one.

this is why i have been absent. i have been busy shivering.......and cooking.
in the end, what we have been trying is to warm ourselves from the inside out. lots of hearty baked goods. lots of hearty stick to your ribs dinners. i have probably gained about 10 pounds but the alternative is to either freeze or walk around draped in a comforter. so....i'll take the cooking.

soups and stews top the list and this one here is no slouch.
this is guranteed to make you warm and it's also very friendly on the wallet.
super cheap and super yummy. we take it vegetarian most of the time but with shredded rotisserie chicken added to it it's a definite winner!

jen's morrocan chick pea stew.
freeze the leftovers and re-heat them one night in place of a starchy-side dish beside your beautifully baked chicken and a wonderful steamed green vegetable...yum!

a few swirls of olive oil
one medium onion - diced
one whole head of garlic - pressed or finely minced {yep, you read that right!!}
3 - 28 oz cans of chick peas - drained and rinsed
one - 28oz can of diced tomatoes {with the juice.}
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of paprika {optional - i'm not a paprika kind of gal!}
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper {i like mine with a little kick!}
4 cups of vegetable broth {you can use chicken if you want}
1 tsp of sugar
salt and pepper.

chopped fresh cilantro for topping.
toasted naan bread for scooping.

get out a pretty large pot - i usually use a dutch oven but a stock pot will do {a short one.} plop in a few swirls of olive oil and heat over medium for about 30 seconds. toss in your diced onion and let cook for one minute. tun your heat down and add your garlic being careful not to burn. stir, not quite constantly but don't forget it! once those looked cooked and are ridiculously fragrant - about 4 to 4 minutes - add your spices and let them cook out for about one minutes completely incorporating it with the onion mix. next add your chick peas, tomatoes, broth, tsp of sugar and season with a little salt and a good serving of pepper. bring your mix to a boil then turn down to a simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. after 40 minutes take a potato masher and mash down some of the chick peas {but not all!}. stir it up and decide if it is think enough for you. if you still find it a little thin then keep simmering till you are happy with it. also taste and adjust your seasonings! fill up your bowls and top with heaping piles of fresh cilantro - if cilantro is not your thing a scoop of sour cream is a nice substitute. serve with hot naan bread and ice cold beer. {okay, the beer is optional but it goes together really well! we also likes a little frank red hot with it too!}