Chickpeas with Spinach

Name: Chickpeas with Spinach
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 1 bay leaf; 1 slice country bread, crust removed; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant and finely ground; 237 milliliters 1/2 pound (1 generous cup) dried chickpeas; 4 eggs, fried sunny-side up, or 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (optional); 7 cloves garlic, peeled; 59 milliliters diced cooked ham if using ham hock or 1/2 cup if not using hock (optional); 1 small ham hock (optional); 2 Tbsps olive oil; 1 onion, peeled; 1 pinch Generous of saffron threads, warmed and crushed; 8 servings Salt; 8 servings Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 118 milliliters coarsely flaked cooked salt cod (optional); 1 Dash sherry vinegar, as needed; 567 grams About spinach, tough stems removed, rinsed, and coarsely chopped (about 10 loosely packed cups or 1 pound after trimming); 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

Chickpeas with Spinach might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe serves 8. This recipe covers 29% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Watching your figure? This dairy free recipe has 285 calories, 20g of protein, and 13g of fat per serving. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 45 minutes. Head to the store and pick up ham hock, dash of sherry vinegar, cumin seeds, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the olive oil you could follow this main course with the Sauteed Banana, Granolan and Yogurt Parfait as a dessert.

Instructions

Pick over the chickpeas, discarding any misshapen peas or grit, rinse well, and soak overnight in water to cover. The next day, drain the chickpeas and put them in a saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Tie together 4 of the garlic cloves, the onion, and the bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and add the sachet to the pan.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Garlic Cloves

Chickpeas

Bay Leaves

Onion

Water

Peas

Equipment you will use

Cheesecloth

Sauce Pan

Frying Pan

Add the optional ham hock only if you will not be adding salt cod later, and then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, adding 2 teaspoons salt (less if using the ham hock) after the first 10 minutes of cooking, until the chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Chickpeas

Ham Hock

Salt Cod

Salt

Remove the pan from the heat, and remove the sachet from the pan. Leave the chickpeas in their cooking liquid. Discard the ham bone. Untie the sachet, discard the bay leaf, and reserve the garlic and onion.

Ingredients you will need

Chickpeas

Bay Leaves

Ham Bone

Garlic

Onion

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Place the spinach in a saucepan with only the rinsing water clinging to its leaves and cook over medium heat, stirring and turning constantly with tongs, until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Spinach

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Tongs

Drain well in a sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon. If the leaves seem stringy or too big, you can chop them a bit more. Set aside.

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Ingredients you will need

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the bread and the remaining 3 uncooked garlic cloves and fry, turning as needed, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Garlic Cloves

Bread

Transfer to a blender or small processor, add the saffron, and pulse until pulverized.

Ingredients you will need

Saffron

Equipment you will use

Blender

Add the onion and garlic reserved from the chickpeas, the cumin, paprika, and 1 cup of the chickpea cooking liquid and purée until smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Chickpeas

Paprika

Garlic

Cumin

Onion

Add the purée and the spinach to the cooked chickpeas along with the salt cod or the ham, whichever you are using.

Ingredients you will need

Chickpeas

Salt Cod

Spinach

Ham

Place the mixture over low heat, stir well, and bring to a simmer. If it seems dry, add a little water as needed so the stew is spoonable. Season to taste with salt and lots of pepper. Taste and balance the seasoning with vinegar.

Ingredients you will need

Seasoning

Vinegar

Pepper

Water

Salt

Stew

Transfer to a serving dish. If serving with the optional eggs, top with the fried eggs and serve hot, or with the hard-boiled eggs and serve warm.

Ingredients you will need

Hard Boiled Egg

Egg

Wine

Ingredients you will need

Wine

Spanish: rosé (Valdepeñas, Cigales), Tempranillo/blend (Rioja, La Mancha, Catalonia)Non-Spanish: rosé of Pinot Noir (France, California), Cabernet/blend (Chile, Argentina)

Ingredients you will need

Rose Wine

Chili Pepper