Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Recipe: Chickpea and Spinach Stew

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One of my favorite tapas dishes is spinach with chickpeas. I love it because while the dish itself is so simple, the flavors are intense and complex. That being said, short of eating a large version of the tapas dish, it is difficult to make a meal out of it. This stew was the perfect solution!

I forgot to stock up on vegetable broth (pun intended) when I made this, so I used what little I had and combined it with water. The original recipe also called for pear tomatoes, but I used roma instead.

ingredients:
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika (I chose to use smoked paprika to add a little flavor)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 pinches saffron threads
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 roma tomatoes, stemmed and diced
2 cans garbanzo beans
1/2 cup golden raisins

instructions:
1. place vegetable broth in a stockpot over high heat. add the garlic, paprika, cumin, saffron, and cloves. cover and bring to a boil
2. place a medium sized skillet on medium0high heat and add the olive oil. stir in the shallots and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. set aside.
3. When the broth has come to a boil add the spinach and cook until it wilts, about 1-2 minutes.
4. place the beans in a colander and rinse/drain thoroughly. stir into the soup along with the shallots and tomatoes and raisins. continue to cook over medium-high heat for three minutes.
Serves 6