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A tin of chickpeas (loaded with zinc to boost your immunity) can go a long way. Look beyond hummus and you could make anything from falafel wraps to Moroccan soups, salads to the good old Indian chickpea curry (that’s our weakness too). However today our dish #infocus is inspired by our love for Spain where chickpeas and spinach (garbanzos con espinacas) is a popular dish served in both fine restaurants and tapas joints. It’s simple but incredibly tasty, with plenty of flavor from tomato, raisins and saffron.
Prep Time – 5 mins
Cook Time – 25 mins
Level – Easy
Serves – 4
Ingredients
1 cup water
30 grams of baby spinach
2 large garlic cloves,
Pinch of saffron threads
2 teaspoons paprika or kashmiri chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Two cans chickpeas with their liquid (Or 1 cup chickpea soaked overnight and pressure cooked for 30 mins)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (use any vegetable oil instead)
1 small onion chopped
Finely chopped 1 large tomat
1/4 cup golden raisins
Salt (as per taste)
Crusty bread/Rice for serving
Method
Boil spinach leaves over high heat, until wilted. Drain (keep the liquid) and coarsely chop the spinach.
Mash the garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the saffron. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl. Add the paprika, cumin, cloves and black pepper and mash until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid.
Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a pan and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened. Add the spiced garlic sauce to the onion and tomato in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and the remaining liquid. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Throw in the spinach, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer for 15 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with bread or rice.
