Two worlds collided yesterday: my commitment to making one legume-based dinner per week and my son’s visit.

He texted me the day before, saying he wanted to pick up an old costume for him and one for his girlfriend for a Halloween party. Naturally, I was delighted that he was stopping over, but I was also surprised. In a couple of days, he will be defending his research at his prelim exam. He has been working on his PhD in genetics for several years, and has gathered a lot of data. During his prelim exam he will be grilled by 5 PhD researchers: 3 from his university, 1 from a university in Texas, and 1 from a university in China. All are experts in his field. Beforehand they will have his lengthy written proposal. Doing the exam he will do a formal presentation of his research, and they will grill him on it. Lastly, they will ask him anything that they wish in the broad categories of genetics and insect biology. This exam determines if they will allow him to move forward towards his doctorate degree.

His research involves fruit flies. Why insects? He is using them to study the effects of climate change, and how RNA (a nucleic acid) is potentially altered due to climate stress. Bugs are great test subjects because they reproduce quickly. You can study many generations in a short amount of time. Their bodies physically change in different environments, and this can impact their distribution range. Why is this important to us humans? Destructive bugs damage crops and cause disease, and productive bugs (like bees) pollinate crops. Where they travel has a direct impact on our lives.

Before I went to medical school, I wanted to be a university professor, so I pursued graduate studies in microbiology and biochemistry. Prior to defending my thesis, I sequestered myself to write and study. I wanted to be sure that I could answer any and all questions that my committee would throw at me. And here is my son, stopping off for dinner and going to a Halloween party days before his grilling. Well, let’s face it he is simply smarter than I am, and that is a good thing!

I drifted off topic, didn’t I? Time to get back to the recipe. I found a New York Times recipe for chickpea stew that looked easy and intriguing. Normally, I don’t make NYT recipes as they often use exotic ingredients, but this one had some flexibility and the photo looked yummy. Let’s take a look at the ingredients. Oh, I made a substitution or two based on what I had on hand. Additionally, I modified the recipe to be made in an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Lastly, I doubled the recipe because my son was visiting and I wasn’t sure how hungry he would be. That last decision was unnecessary, as there would have been enough soup for the three of us with the given recipe. Well, my wife and I will have the leftovers for dinner tonight so all was not lost.

I doubled the above recipe. In retrospect, a single recipe would have been plenty for the three of us.

Here is an overview of the ingredients. If you wanted to make this stew as a vegetarian dish you could use vegetable broth. I’m using dry chickpeas. They are from Amazon, which notoriously has old beans so I not only soaked them overnight, but I also added 1t of baking soda and 1T table salt to speed the process along (better living through chemistry!). Naturally, I rinsed the chickpeas thoroughly and drained them before cooking. 1/2 C of dry chickpeas will cook up to the equivalent of 1 can of chickpeas. Canned beans are cheap, but dry beans are super cheap.

I set my electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot clone) to sauté and let it heat up. I added some cooking oil and my onions. You can use any type of onion that you have. I sautéed the onions for about 3-4 minutes, until they softened.

I didn’t have fresh rosemary, so I used dried rosemary instead. This looks like 1/2 tsp to me. In it goes. I let this herb bloom for about 30 seconds.

I didn’t have any red pepper flakes, so I used a tiny bit of Cayenne Pepper. I like a little heat, but I can’t handle super-hot food. You do you.

It goes in with the rest of the vegetables for a couple of minutes of softening.

Now the garlic. I used jarlic (jarred garlic) because I didn’t want my hands to smell like garlic all day! Fresh is nice, and powdered works in a pinch.

Next, the salt. I added only about 1 tsp, since I will adjust the seasonings at the end of cooking. This is fancy Redmond’s Real Salt, but it is just salt. Use whatever you have on hand.

Now the chicken broth. Feel free to use boxed, homemade, Better Than Bouillon, or bouillon cubes. Each has a different salt level, so go easy on the initial salt.

Now the soaked, rinsed, and drained chickpeas.

In go the chopped-up tomatoes. These were past their salad-use date, but perfectly fine for soup. Waste not, want not.

I secured the cooker’s lid and place the regulator in the sealing position. I pressure-cooked on high for 27 minutes. I’m a product of the 60s, and I like soft foods. If you like firmer beans, go with 24-25 minutes. When the time is up do a quick release. You may want to ease the initial release to avoid soup spray from the regulator. Always follow your machine’s safety instructions.

I thought this would be a good recipe to show how to depressurize, add ingredients, and repressurize a pressure cooker. In goes the Orzo… oops, I actually had Acini di Pepe, not Orzo. Oh well, that will be just fine. Home cooking is about rational substitutions.

I closed the pot and set the regulator to seal. This time, I pressurized for only 4 minutes, then did a quick pressure release. Just like before, you may consider slowly releasing the pressure at the start to avoid spray.

You can see how much pressurized steam pours out when the regulator valve is open. Don’t freak out; just be careful. I have depressurized pots hundreds of times and have never been burned. I just pay attention.

I tossed in a few handfuls of baby spinach and stirred. The hot soup will wilt it.

Here is the finished soup ready to serve.

I topped the soup with Parmesan Cheese and sliced green onions, and served it with my homemade sunflower-seed bread, toasted and buttered. It was good!

Dear reader, we are all suffering from runaway inflation and exorbitant gas prices. Cooking from scratch can stretch any dollar. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel; other cultures and our own older generations have already figured out ways to make delicious food on a tight budget. Try this stew; I think you will like it. Lastly, if you prefer soup just add some water at the end of cooking.

Peace

Mike