Garbanzos con Espinacas

Name: Garbanzos con Espinacas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1 Yellow onion, finely diced; 4 cloves Garlic, sliced; 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground; 1 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika; 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes; 2 tbsp Almonds, blanched; 3 cups Chickpeas, cooked and drained; 10 oz Spinach; 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar; 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground

Serves 4 30 min total, 20 min hands on Spanish $0.95 per serving No added salt

Espinacas con garbanzos is a Seville tapa, usually thick with olive oil and often with fried bread blended into the sauce. Smoked paprika does the heavy lifting on flavor, and a spoonful of blended almond gives the sauce the body the oil and bread used to. Sherry vinegar at the end keeps it bright.

Ingredients

1 Yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
1 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp Almonds, blanched
3 cups Chickpeas, cooked and drained
10 oz Spinach
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground

Method

Sweat the onion in a wide pan with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add the cumin and smoked paprika and stir for 20 seconds, just until fragrant. Paprika scorches fast, so keep it moving and add the tomatoes right after.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, until they darken and thicken.
Blend the almonds with 1/2 cup (120 ml) water into a smooth cream and stir it in. This is the picada trick: ground nuts give the sauce a silky body that would otherwise come from oil.
Add the chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes so they take on the sauce. Mash a few against the pan to thicken.
Add the spinach by the handful, stirring until it wilts down, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the sherry vinegar and black pepper. The vinegar is what makes it taste finished, so add a few more drops if it falls flat. Serve warm, with a whole grain bread to mop the pan.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving: 285 calories, 16 g protein, 14 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.

Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.