Spanish Chickpea And Spinach Stew Recipe

Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew Recipe

Spring may finally adorn us with its presence and next week's weather looks positive on the beach, but that night is still cool enough so I think warm and comfortable stews are still the right recipe.

Today's inspiration comes from Spain. I made you my own classic Spanish version: garbanzo con espinacas (beans and spinach stew). There are many different versions of this dish, some drier than others, but I go for chickpeas to swim in lots of rich tomato sauce flavored with beloved cumin, smoked peppers and a little (I really need to stop myself) of cayenne pepper .

Besides being delicious (especially the day after it was made), this dish really packs nutrients. Beans and spinach are good sources of calcium and iron, plus they are also rich in protein, which most meat eaters are very worried about not getting enough. Tomatoes are rich in powerful antioxidants, lycopene, and all the forces that carry out nutrients, such as vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.

Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp / 30 ml oil (I use olive oil)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoons (ground)
1½ tsp smoked paprika (pounded)
¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
2-3 teaspoons brown sugar
black pepper, to taste
2 x 400 g cans of peeled prunes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1½ cup cooked beans
200 g of spinach
some almond flakes, baked
fresh, chopped parsley (optional)
cooked rice (I use chocolate), to be served together

Instruction

Heat the oil in a large skillet (ideally with a lid). Add the chopped onion and fry over low heat until almost transparent, stirring from time to time.
Add minced garlic. Keep stirring until the onion is transparent and the garlic softens completely and gives off a beautiful aroma.
Add all the seasonings to the fried onions and the garlic mixture and stir well. Fry gently for one or two minutes, stirring all the time because it is flammable.
Add tomato paste to the pan and stir into the onions and garlic mixture.
Squash the plum tomatoes with masher potatoes in a separate bowl before adding them to the pan. Add tomatoes to the pan, salt and half sugar. Leave the sauce thick with boiling over low heat without a lid. Stir the sauce well from time to time.
After the sauce thickens, taste and season with black pepper and more sugar if needed. I used 3 teaspoons of sugar in this recipe because my tomatoes are quite sharp, but you might not need much.
Stir the cooked beans and let them warm. Now add the spinach and cover to let the spinach wilt and cook in steam. If you're not in a hurry, you can fry spinach with a little olive oil and garlic separately then add it to the dish, but that's optional.
Serve on rice, sprinkled with toasted almonds and fresh parsley.