RETURNING to York from a day out in London, we called in at a foodie café near King's Cross, where the owner had accosted in the morning, telling us they were now open in the evening.

The food looked good so we went back, only to find that everything had sold out, except one veggie dish. My non-meat-eating wife was happy, her companion less so. But the food when it came was delicious, served in a big bowl with a comforting dollop of mashed potato. This is my wife's take on that meal.
 

Spicy smokey chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 onion chopped
A splash of cooking oil
1 carrot diced
1 courgette diced
1-2 cloves of garlic crushed
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 400g tin of chickpeas drained
1 box/bottle passata (sieved tomatoes)
2 bay leaves 
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Ground black pepper

To serve: freshly made mashed potatoes.


Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan then gently fry the onions until soft.

Add the crushed garlic and continue cooking for a minute.

Add the diced vegetables and cook gently until softened.

Add the sweet paprika, smoked paprika and chilli powder and cook for a short time to blend everything together.

Add the chickpeas, passata, bay leaves and thyme then bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring every now and again.

Once everything is cooked, add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with a generous spoonful of buttery mashed potatoes.