Smoky Spanish Spinach And Chickpeas (Espinacas Con Garbanzos)
After a month of eating in Spain, vegetables are the thing I get most excited about on a menu. The food here is insanely delicious, but it isn’t exactly vegetable-forward. At most traditional tapas restaurants there are generally two vegetable dishes on the menu: Padrón peppers and patatas bravas, and occasionally a third; espinacas con garbanzos! Espinacas con garbanzos (or spinach and chickpeas) is a dish that comes from Seville and I can't get enough of it. It's got an earthy, smoky flavor from the paprika. It's rich and creamy from the olive oil and chickpeas. And it has yet another layer of complexity from the roasted garlic and vinegar. Needless to say, it has quickly become one of my favorites.
Traditionally this dish is prepared with a luscious sauce made of toasted bread, garlic, and spices that are blended and added to the spinach and chickpeas. Since I'm currently living that airbnb life, I adjusted the recipe to make it easier to make sans blender. A perfect home-away-from-home meal easily whipped up with a few integral OXO tools. The taste is very similar, but the finished product is a little less dense, which makes it an excellent healthy side for some pan seared salmon, or crispy white fish! Also, I've had it for breakfast with fried eggs and that's also A+.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
16-ounce bag (about 10 unpacked cups) of spinach
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cumin
¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
¾ teaspoon white wine vinegar
fine sea salt
LET’S COOK:
Pour ¼ cup oil into a large soup pot, or skillet, over medium heat (I prefer a pot because it makes for less splatter).
Add in the garlic cloves, with their skins still on, and cook until the exterior is golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Pull out the cooked cloves and set aside. Once they're cool enough to handle remove the skin and mince until the garlic is almost a paste. Set aside.
Add all the spinach and a big pinch of salt to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.
Pour the spinach into a colander over the sink, or over a mixing bowl, to strain.
Put the pot back on the stove and add another ¼ cup oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion and another big pinch of salt.
Once the onion is translucent add the garlic paste, cumin, and paprika, and stir to coat the onions.
Add the chickpeas, another big pinch of salt, and the rest of the olive oil (2 tablespoons). Cook until some of the chickpeas have a crispy exterior, about 4 minutes.
Add the spinach back in with yet another pinch of salt and the vinegar. Cook for 5 or so minutes until the spinach is quite wilted and darkened. Add extra paprika, vinegar, and salt to taste
Thank you to OXO for partnering with me to bring these fun Spanish dishes to life!!! As you probably know by now, they’re my absolute favorite kitchen tool company.
[SERVES 4]