Along with being busy and sick, I’ve also been a bit financially, well, challenged of late. The following is a pantry-raid dish which ended up making two different and rather delicious meals.
The first incarnation was inspired by a tapas dish I’ve had a few times at various restaurants:
Garbanzos con Espinacas (chickpeas and spinach)
1 onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
smallish chunck of ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp (or more to taste) harissa paste
2 tins chickpeas, rinsed
1 tin tomatoes
big bunch of spinach, washed and picked over
Saute the onions, garlic and ginger in a little olive oil for a few minutes until translucent. Add the cumin and harissa paste and fry for a few minutes more. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat with the oil and spices. Stir through the tomatoes, and a little water if needed. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for around 15 minutes. The sauce should reduce a little, and the flavours come together.
Add the spinach, cover and allow to wilt, then stir through. I forgot to take pictures of this, but it was excellent served with some good chewy bread and a squeeze of lemon.
Chickpeas: Redux
The second incarnation used the leftovers, and was inspired both by some Morrocan-style dishes I’ve enjoyed, and the memory of the Chicken Provencale I used to make years ago, before I became vego (obvs!).
Basically, I just took the leftover chickpeas and spinach, added big chunks of par-boiled dutch cream potatoes, and a handful of pitted kalamata olives, and let it stew for around 20 minutes. The saltiness of the olives and the starchiness of the potatoes made for an incredible savouriness and heartiness, which is perfect as we come in to cooler weather. I’ll definitely be making this again!
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