Chick Peas and Lentils, Moroccan Style-ish

I'm pulling this out from the fist post to make it a little more approachable.  I've used this fish dish with next to no liquid as a warm salad under a protein, but with a little broth it makes a fantastically satisfying stew to serve over rice or enjoy like an exotic bowl of chili.  You could even puree it down and serve it as a dip with crostini and vegetables, warm or room temp.

Yield: 5-6 cups
Time: 30-45 min

Ingredients:

1 t olive oil
1/2 cup, onion, small dice
1 small carrot, small dice
1 small celery, small dice
1-2 t cumin seeds
2 t chili powder
8 cardamom pods, seeds only
2 t grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
1/2 can unsalted chick peas, rinsed
2 scoops of diced canned tomatoes, plus all the juice from the can
3/4 cup water
2 cloves
1 dash of cinnamon
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach
s&p to taste

Method:

• Heat 1T oil in a small sauce pan.  Sweat the onion, celery, and carrots until just tender crisp.  
• Turn up the heat a bit, add the spices and fry for at least a couple of minutes, stirring often.  The longer you go without scorching, the better, but 2 min is good.
• Add the ginger and the garlic, reduce heat and cook about 30 seconds.  
• Add the lentils, tomato, juice, water and cloves.  Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook about 15 minutes, add the chick peas, season with S&P and cinnamon.  
• Return to low heat and let the chickpeas heat through.  You can go soupy on this or you can go dry.  I opted to go dryer, because I was seeking a warm salad (to go under this Moroccan Style Fish dish), but a stew or chili consistancy would also be great.