TIMELY TREATS
Food writer and recipe developer Katrina Meynink serves up some delicious slow-cook meal ideas
SERVES 4
This is the kind of superbly simple, healthy dinner that you can throw together in an instant. This recipe uses dried chickpeas, but if time is lacking, you could wash and strain a tin of chickpeas, reduce the cooking time to about 1 hour and reduce the amount of stock by just over half.
2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm piece ginger, finely sliced 3 tsps freshly grated turmeric, or 1½ generous tsps ground turmeric
250g (generous cup) dried
chickpeas
¼ preserved lemon, finely
chopped
750ml (3 cups) vegetable or chicken stock, plus extra if needed
3 tbsps sultanas (golden raisins) 370g (12 cups) cooked
white rice
HERB STIR-THROUGH
100g (2 cups) baby spinach ½ bunch coriander (cilantro),
leaves, roughly chopped handful of dill fronds
½ bunch flat-leaf (Italian)
parsley, roughly chopped 2 tbsps marjoram or lemon
thyme leaves
TO SERVE
Greek or coconut yoghurt Coriander (cilantro) leaves
1 Set the slow cooker to the sauté function. Add the olive oil and, once shimmering, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent and fragrant.
2 Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric and cook for another minute. Add the chickpeas and preserved lemon and cook until coated in the mixture. Add the stock, cover with the lid and cook for 8—10 hours on a low setting.
3 Add the sultanas for the last 20 minutes of cooking, along with a splash more stock if the chickpeas have absorbed all the liquid.
4 Stir in the cooked rice, adding more stock again if necessary, to create a slightly loose, stew-like consistency. Cook for an additional minute, then remove from the heat and stir through the spinach and all the herbs.
5 Let the mixture rest for 1 minute to allow the spinach to soften, then add a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Season to taste and serve with a few extra coriander leaves.