Recipe of the week: Comfort food for the last days of winter

Isn’t all food comfort food? asks Nigella Lawson in The New York Times. Especially as we bravely struggle through the last days of winter, “we want food that warms, food that charms, rather than challenges.” For me, that

means dishes served in bowls, full of vegetables and easily spooned. This one is “gloriously easy to make.” It is also ideal as a leftover when served over a thick piece of sourdough toast.

Recipe of the week

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Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

2 medium red onions, peeled

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 bird’s-eye pepper, Thai chili, or other very hot small pepper with its seeds

1 2-1/2 to 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled, cut into chunks

3 tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1-1/2 tsp ground turmeric

3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Salt

2 lbs (about 3 medium) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into

1/2 to 1-inch cubes

1-3/4 cups coconut milk

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2-1/4 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth

4 to 5 cups (about 4 15.5-oz. cans, drained) canned or cooked chickpeas

2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Cooked white rice for serving (optional)

Steamed broccolini for serving (optional)

In food processor, combine onions, garlic, hot pepper, ginger. Pulse until

finely chopped. Place oil in large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion mixture, sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add hot

pepper flakes, ground ginger, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric,

cardamom pods, 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to mix. Add sweet potatoes; stir

until well covered in spices. Stir in coconut milk. Dissolve tamarind paste in hot broth, add to pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes. (Taste potatoes

to be sure they are cooked all the way through; allow additional cooking time if necessary.) Add chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Transfer to warmed bowl, sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve, if desired, with white rice and broccolini.

Serves 6–8.