Moorish Style Chickpea And Spinach Stew Recipes

MOORISH-STYLE CHICKPEA AND SPINACH STEW

Steps:

• The day before you cook, soak the chickpeas in cold water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a big saucepan, combine the chickpeas with 2 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours, until the chickpeas are tender. Every 10 minutes or so, add 1/2 cup of cold water to slow down the simmering. By the end, the water should have reduced so it is barely covering the chickpeas. Turn off the heat and let sit. In a small saute pan over medium to low heat, brown the garlic in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When the garlic is browned, after about 3 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bread and brown on both sides, about one minute each side. Remove the bread and set aside. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add the pimenton and saffron to the saute pan, and the sherry vinegar immediately afterward to prevent the pimenton from burning. In a mortar, smash the reserved garlic and the browned bread to make a very thick paste. Bring the chickpeas back to a low boil and add the spinach. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pimenton mixture along with the garlic and bread paste, to create a thick, stewy sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. Jose's Tips When the chickpeas are soft and cooked, only about one finger's depth of water should remain in the bottom of the pan. If there is more, remove some water from the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. By the way, if you're in a rush and want to make a successful dish without cooking for two or three hours, you can use good quality chickpeas from a can or jar. Recipe adapted from Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres, published by Clarkson Potter.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND SPINACH STEW

Steps:

• Place chickpeas and cumin in large saucepan.
• Add enough water to barely cover chickpeas. Set aside.
• Saute garlic in olive oil in small pan over medium to low heat.
• Remove garlic when browned, about 3 minutes.
• Set aside.
• Toast bread until golden in same pan about one minute per side.
• Remove bread and turn off heat.
• Add paprika and saffron, followed immediately by vinegar to keep paprika from burning.
• Pound garlic and browned bread in a mortar or glass bowl to make a thick paste.
• Bring chickpeas to a low boil, then add spinach, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add paprika-saffron mixture and garlic bread paste to create a thick stew.
• Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

MOROCCAN SQUASH, CHICKPEA, AND SPINACH STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring well to ensure the spices don't stick and burn, for 2 minutes.
• Add butternut squash, chickpeas, tomatoes, vegetable stock, raisins, and honey. Simmer until squash starts to break down, about 20 minutes.
• While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread flaked almonds onto a baking sheet.
• Toast nuts in the preheated oven, shaking the pan frequently, until they start to turn golden brown and become fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir spinach and cilantro into the soup; cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted almonds.