Masala Chickpea Stew with Bacon

Invented this chickpea stew for lunch today.  Most of the spices are Indian, so I'm calling it a masala. I only made enough for the two of us, in case we didn't like how it came out, and that was unwise. Below is what I'll make in the future to give us leftovers. This is the sort of dish that you know will taste ten times better the next day. You could leave the bacon out and make this vegetarian, but the dish leans toward the sweet side, so the smoky salty addition is nice. Also, unless you are a vegetarian, it is less than an ounce of bacon per serving, so that's not too unhealthy (or so I keep telling myself). I liked mine with a dollop of greek yogurt, Matt preferred his without.  But don't forget the squeeze of lime!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 ounces bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 small/medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8" half moons
• 2  fat cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp ground chipotle
• 1 28-ounce can, diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
• 2 TBS chopped cilantro
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• lime wedges, for finishing

Process

• In a 4 qt. heavy bottomed sauce pan, render out bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Remove bacon and set aside.
• Add onion and carrot to pot and cook over medium low heat, stirring regularly until onions start to brown and carrots start to soften.
• Add spices and garlic, stir in pot for about a minute, toasting spices.
• Deglaze pan with a few TBS of water.
• Add can of tomatoes, including liquid.
• Bring sauce to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and stir in cilantro
• When sauce begins to thicken, add chickpeas.
• Stirring regularly, continue simmering until most liquid is evaporated and chickpeas are warmed through
• Sprinkle bacon over top, and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime.