Chickpeas and Spinach, a Tapas Recipe
 

I was lucky enough to find a super cheap airfare to Spain, so last November, the DH and I went. We really enjoyed the trip. Of course, we had tapas every night. One tapas dish that is a standard there is chickpeas and spinach, or "Garbanzos con Espinacas." These two ingredients are good on their own, but when combined and simmered together with some other seasonings, the dish becomes something else...wonderful, savory, delicious! This is often served with small, french bread rounds.

When I got home, I found that I already had a recipe for it in the cookbook, TAPAS, by Penelope Casas. Of course, I've modified it to my own liking. I've increased the amount of spinach in my version and her recipe calls for very expensive saffron, so I replaced it with turmeric. I've also substituted canned chickpeas for dried ones and canned tomatoes for fresh, in order to make this dish a little faster and easier to make. I usually don't grate the chocolate on mine, but it's really tasty if you do. Here's my take on this dish:

Garbanzos con Espinacas

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups of water
1/2 pound baby spinach, washed, coarsely chopped
pinch of turmeric
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated semisweet chocolate (optional)

Drain the chickpeas and pour into a medium pan. Add 1/3 of the minced garlic, 1/4 of the diced tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and the water. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain all but a couple of tablespoons of the water off and remove the bay leaf. Set aside.

In a large saute pan,lightly brown the chopped onions in the olive oil, add the rest of the chopped tomatoes, minced garlic and turmeric. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes are softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the spinach and a few tablespoons of water if it looks dry. Cook a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and reduced. Add the chickpea mixture to the spinach mixture and cook for another minute, or two, until it comes together and most of the liquid is cooked off. Serve in a bowl and garnish with the grated chocolate.

~ C

Oh...I forgot to mention...

I like to season mine with a dash of nutmeg and a dash of smoked paprika.

~ C

Tropit, I don't know if you get Netflix but we just watched a fabulous series filmed in Barcelona called Merli. Wow, it was so good we watched it twice!

Sounds good....simple, yet filling......and I have those things in my pantry...may try it.......

I do get Netflix. I'll look it up...thanks!

~ C

I'm in the market for a cheap airfare to Spain at the moment - hope I get lucky. In the meantime, thanks so much for posting this recipe - sounds delicious!