Valencian Chickpea And Chard Soup Recipes

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW WITH COCONUT AND TURMERIC

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they've started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
• Add greens and stir, making sure they're submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you're using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
• Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

VALENCIAN CHICKPEA AND CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas and combine with 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the chickpeas. Measure the broth and add enough water to make 6 cups.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, parsley and paprika, and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes, until the chickpeas are thoroughly tender. Add the greens and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• When ready to serve, if using the egg and lemon, beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl. Making sure that the broth is not boiling, whisk in a ladleful of broth from the soup. Turn off the heat under the soup and add the mixture back into the soup while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. The eggs should not curdle but should cloud the soup.
• Spoon a few tablespoons of rice into each soup bowl and ladle in the soup. Serve hot.

CHICKPEAS WITH CHARD

Steps:

• Chop 1 bunch Swiss chard. Saute the stems with 1 each chopped onion and red jalapeno in olive oil over medium-high heat until softened, 3 minutes; season with salt. Add one 15-ounce can chickpeas (drained, liquid reserved); cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves; cook 30 seconds. Add the chard leaves along with the chickpea liquid and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; simmer until the chard wilts. Stir in the juice of 1/2 lemon.

VALENCIAN CHICKPEA AND CHARD SOUP

Steps:

• Soak chickpeas in 1 quart of water for 4 to 6 hours or overnight; drain chickpeas and combine, in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, with 6 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour; drain, reserving broth and adding water to bring the liquid back up to 6 cups.
• Dry out pot and heat the oil over medium heat; cook onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, thyme, parsley, and paprika; stir.
• Add in tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add in chickpeas and broth; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until chickpeas are tender, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Add the chard, cover, and simmer until the greens are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes; turn off heat.
• If serving with the optional garnishes, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together, temper with a ladle-ful of broth (not boiling!), stir into soup, stirring vigorously so that eggs do not curdle, but rather clouds the soup.
• Spoon some rice into each serving bowl and top with soup.