Recipes › Onion (Salad/Spring) › Spring Onion and Chickpea Stew with Harissa and Lemon
Spring Onion and Chickpea Stew with Harissa and Lemon
A bold, deeply savoury North African-inspired stew where whole spring onions are the backbone rather than the background, braised until silky in a spiced tomato and chickpea base. Harissa brings real heat and depth, while a squeeze of lemon at the end keeps everything bright. Ready in under 30 minutes and substantial enough to eat on its own with good bread.
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Ingredients
- 500 spring onions, roots trimmed, cut into 5cm lengths
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp rose harissaor use standard harissa; rose harissa is milder and fruitier
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 400 g chopped tomatoes1 x 400g tin
- 800 g cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed2 x 400g tins; or use 300g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 20 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped (optional)or flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan or sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the spring onions in a single layer — work in two batches if needed — and cook without stirring for 2 minutes until they start to colour on the underside. Turn them and cook for a further 1 minute. They should be lightly charred in patches and beginning to soften. Transfer to a plate and set aside.About 5 min
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Add the harissa, cumin, ground coriander and smoked paprika and stir everything together for 30 seconds to toast the spices in the oil.About 2 min
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Stir well to lift any bits from the base of the pan. Add the chickpeas and bring to a steady simmer.About 2 min
- Return the seared spring onions to the pan, nestling them into the chickpea base. Simmer uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the spring onions are completely tender when pressed with a spoon.About 8 min
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice, and season with the flaky salt. Taste and adjust — you may want more harissa for heat or more lemon for brightness. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter over the fresh coriander if using. Serve immediately with flatbreads or crusty bread to mop up the sauce, or over couscous.About 1 min
Tips
- Don't skip the initial searing step for the spring onions — those charred edges add a smoky depth that completely transforms the dish. A crowded pan will steam rather than colour them, so take the time to do it in batches.
- Harissa varies wildly in heat between brands. Taste yours before you add it. Some need double the quantity, others will blow your head off at one tablespoon.
- If you want more body, use the back of a spoon to roughly crush about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan during the last few minutes of simmering — it thickens the sauce naturally without any faff.
Ring the changes
- Stir in 100g of baby spinach or roughly torn chard leaves for the final 2 minutes of cooking — they wilt down quickly and add good green bulk.
- A 200g block of firm tofu, pressed and cut into 2cm cubes, can be pan-fried separately until golden and added with the chickpeas for extra protein.
Keeping it
Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The stew thickens as it sits — add a splash of water when reheating. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
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