Name: Qorma-e-nakhod (Stewed Chickpeas With Spinach and Goat Cheese)
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: ½ cup whole milk or heavy cream; 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled; ½ tsp. ground cumin; Kosher salt; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice; 1 cup tomato purée; 1½ tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. sweet paprika; ½ tsp. cayenne pepper; ½ tsp. ground turmeric; Kosher salt; 8 ounces spinach leaves, roughly chopped; 2 (15.5-oz.) cans chickpeas, undrained; 1½ cups vegetable stock or water; Freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Stewed chickpeas with spinach and goat cheese in a bowl.

Photo by Kristin Teig

Sometimes, World Central Kitchen finds that we can provide the most help thousands of miles away from the disaster we’re responding to. This was the case in 2021 when the political situation in Afghanistan abruptly changed, forcing thousands of Afghans to flee their homes and homeland. Our teams met them with nourishing plates of food at airports in Qatar, Madrid, and Washington, DC. Many hadn’t had a warm meal in days. In Madrid, we worked with Nadia Ghulam, a writer and cook who fled Afghanistan years earlier after having studied and worked for a decade disguised as a boy. This was one of the recipes she shared with our Relief Team—a warm, comforting vegetarian stew of chickpeas and spices, topped with a creamy cumin-flecked goat cheese sauce. “I’m so glad I can do something for the people of my country,” Nadia said about cooking for the new arrivals. “Even if they’ve come a far way, they aren’t feeling alone.”

This recipe was excerpted from 'The World Central Kitchen Cookbook' by José Andrés, one of our favorite cookbooks of 2023. Buy the full book on Amazon.

What you’ll need

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
$21 At Amazon
Ground Cumin
$8 At Amazon
Turmeric
$9 At Spicewalla
Sweet Paprika
$6 At Amazon

Recipe information

Total Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Goat Cheese Sauce

½ cup whole milk or heavy cream

4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

½ tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt

For the Stew

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 cup tomato purée

1½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sweet paprika

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. ground turmeric

Kosher salt

8 ounces spinach leaves, roughly chopped

2 (15.5-oz.) cans chickpeas, undrained

1½ cups vegetable stock or water

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation

Make the Goat Cheese Sauce
Step 1
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, goat cheese, and cumin. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring regularly, for 15 minutes. Don’t let it boil. It may break a bit, which is okay. Let the sauce cool to room temperature while you make the stew. Mix it well before serving—it should be thick and creamy. Taste and add salt as needed.
Make the Stew
Step 2
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add both bell peppers and continue cooking until they soften, about 3 more minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, cumin, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix well. Add the spinach in batches, stirring to get it to wilt into the mixture. Add the chickpeas and their liquid and the stock and increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the stew. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Step 3
Divide the stew into four bowls and top each with a dollop of goat cheese sauce and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve warm.

World Central Kitchen Cookbook-COVER.jpg

Excerpted from The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope by José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol; foreword by Stephen Colbert, copyright © 2023. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.