Chickpeas in lemon red wine sauce

Chickpeas in lemon red wine sauce

That’s right, not beef but chickpeas in lemon red wine sauce. I’ve never tried vegetarian dishes paired with red wine, except for cheeses! I had some leftover red wine and decided to experiment with chickpeas. I chose chickpeas because it has a fairly neutral taste that works well with most combinations.

I found that finishing off the dish with an acid (preferably lemon but I used apple cider vinegar) was necessary. I tried with and without the acid and found that it made a big difference. As we know lemon and chickpeas are good friends (hummus!). The acidity helps cut the sweetness from the red wine and the creaminess.

I used a medium bodied table red wine. The wine was opened few days ago so it oxidised a little bit but still drinkable and cookable!

In the recipe I have suggested cream, however I used milk and butter as a substitute for cream. You can alternatively use milk and flour if you want to make the dish healthier. I've suggested just 50ml cream. You can double the amount if you prefer more. Since cream is added right at the end and heated, if you feel 50ml is not enough just add more.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup red wine
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 50 ml cream
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil over medium heat
• Add onions, garlic and salt and cook until onions turn translucent (or before the garlic starts burning)
• Add red wine and cinnamon, lower heat and cook until the red wine reduces to a thick syrupy consistency
• Add chickpeas and cream and heat gently
• Finally add lemon juice and the dish is ready to rock and roll

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