Robin Ellis

I’m keen to try simple meal-in-a-pot recipes that can be prepared in advance.

This is one inspired by a Nigel Slater recipe from an old newspaper clipping.

We found it hard not to finish it off last night–impossible in fact!

“Well it’s just one medium sweet potato, a single fennel bulb and some chickpeas.”

(I added smoked paprika and halved the amount of smoked bacon in the original.)

“Oh–go on then!”

So much for moderation.

For 2/3

1 onion–chopped

2 sticks of celery–chopped

2 tblsps olive oil

3 garlic cloves–pulped with a teaspoon of salt

1 tsp rosemary spears–chopped fine

2oz/50gms smoked bacon–cubed

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 medium sweet potato–peeled, sliced into thick rounds and these halved

1 fennel bulb–outer leaves removed and sliced thick on the vertical

1/2 pint stock–I use organic vegetable stock cubes

250gms cooked chickpeas

200ml coconut cream*

2 tblsps breadcrumbs

2 tblsps parmesan cheese–grated

• set the oven to 190C/360F
• Heat the oil in a medium size, shallow sauté pan.
• Fry the onion and the celery for a couple of minutes over a medium heat–

• then add the garlic, rosemary and bacon and paprika.

• Stir these together and continue cooking and stirring as the vegetables begin to soften and the bacon colours–about ten minutes.

• Turn the chickpeas into the pan and mix them in.

• Add the sweet potato half-rounds and the fennel slices and mix them in.

• Ease in the stock and the coconut cream.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring it to the boil and sprinkle over the parmesan and breadcrumb mixture.

• Place in the middle of the oven for about thirty minutes.
• From oven to plate and tuck in!

*The difference between coconut milk/cream and cream of coconut is fully explained here: 

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-coconut-m-75446/

It looks like milk, it is NOT sweetened and it does NOT taste of coconut!