Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)

 This simple Spanish dish of spinach with chickpeas just has to be the ultimate comfort food.  Pairing my favourite pulse with spinach and seasoning with cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika just makes it culinary masterpiece for my taste buds.  

Delving into the history of this dish it seems to be born out of the melting pot of Spain's Moorish past in Andalusia.  Arab traders brought spinach from Ancient Persia and chickpeas originated in West Asia brought in by the Phoenicians... they both became important ingredients in Moorish and Sephardic Jewish cuisine in Spain. 

Espinacas con Garbanzos

Ingredients

500g canned chickpeas

300g fresh spinach

2 thick slices of day old bread (crusts removed and cubed)

15 almonds blanched 

60ml tomato sauce

3 garlic cloves chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

30ml sherry or red wine vinigar

1 tsp cumin

Cayenne pepper to taste

1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the chopped spinach. Stir well until it has wilted.

2. Set the spinach aside and add more olive oil to the pan.  Add the cubes of bread and almonds and stir until golden.

3. Add the garlic, cumin, cayenne and black pepper to the bread and almonds and saute for a couple of minutes.

4. Place the bread mixture and sherry/wine vinegar to a blender and blend until a thick paste.

5. Pour the bread paste into the pan and add the chickpeas and tomato sauce. Coat the chickpeas in the sauce.

6. Add the spinach back in the pan and stir gently.

7. Season the ingredients with salt and pepper.

8. To serve place in small dishes, drizzle olive oil over and add a sprinkle of smoked paprika.