Chickpea & Spinach with Paprika
There is nothing as delicious as a simple side dish that can work along a roast chicken or lamb. This recipe is equally delicious on its own as part of a tapas meal.
Wash the spinach leaves and leave to dry.
It is preferable to soak your dry chickpeas overnight with a half teaspoon of baking soda. Wash and drain the chickpeas well before using them. Place them in a pot and cover them with twice their depth in water. Once the water boils reduce the heat to low heat. They should simmer for 45 minutes. Taste them to see if they are tender. They should be soft but not mushy.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil, add the sliced garlic, sauté until lightly golden, and add the paprika, then the chickpeas. Sauté for 10 minutes until they begin to get a golden color, then add the breadcrumbs and stir.
Add the spinach and cover the skillet. Then add sea salt, pepper and stir every few minutes, careful not to over cook the spinach. The spinach should maintain a deep green color.
Serve on a platter, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top.
Rony Zibara
Editor-In-Chief and the gourmand-gourmet behind Poetry of Food; a food memoir which has been in preparation since he was a child. His earliest memories are in the kitchen with his mother cooking French and Lebanese dishes, and with his South American grandmother making Spanish dishes as the cook prepared a repertoire of salsas and sauces. Having grown up in Beirut and lived between Paris, Toronto and now New York, Rony’s food and travel experiences have always been part of his personal cuisine. An avid storyteller, he believes it’s not about the size of the catch, but about the day. It’s the experience, the setting, the people, and most importantly, the ingredients that turn the meal and the flavors into a memory. While not a professionally trained chef, Rony is a cook by all counts; his life revolves around the culinary joys of food, searching out new ingredients, new recipes, and new cultures. And while he loves the restaurant scene, he is not an obsessed follower. Rony’s food passions lie in the poetry of the everyday meal and not in the pursuit of the absolute ‘best’ or perfect meal. His extensive career in innovating and branding new products and experiences has been a great support and backdrop for his passions in food culture and is evident in the overall design and presentation of this food memoir.