Chickpea and Roasted Cauliflower Stew

I found this recipe at Rachael Ray's website. It serves 4-6 people. My husband thought it had great flavor, and I loved the cauliflower!

Ingredients:

• 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4-5 cups chicken stock or water
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 2 cans chickpeas (15 ounces each), drained
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Toss together the cauliflower, 1/4 cup olive oil and a little salt and place on a baking sheet. Roast until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add in the shallots and garlic and cook for a minute or so, just to release the aroma and flavor the oil. Add in the cumin, cinnamon, fennel seed and cayenne pepper and stir to release the aroma of the spices, about 15 seconds.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add in the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and roasted cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the stew over medium heat until it thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley before serving. Serve alongside couscous or rice.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used less than 2 heads of cauliflower.

2. The 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (or ground red pepper, in my case) was just enough to spice up the back of my throat. My husband thought the soup was great, but I think next time I would reduce it to 1/4 tsp of cayenne/red pepper.