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Espinacas con garbanzos
Spinach and chickpeas
Sevillian spinach and chickpeas with cumin, smoked paprika and fried-bread sauce
Espinacas con garbanzos is one of the great tapas of Seville, served in little earthenware dishes in the bars around the cathedral and the Triana market. It carries the city's Moorish past in its spices: cumin, smoked paprika and a little vinegar, with a sauce thickened by a paste of garlic and bread fried in olive oil, the old Andalusian trick called a majado. Earthy chickpeas, soft spinach and a sauce rich enough to mop up with bread make it a filling vegan supper too. It is traditional in Seville during Lent. Chef's tip: pound the fried bread and garlic with the spices and vinegar into a thick paste before it goes into the pan; this majado is what gives the dish its smoky, velvety sauce, so don't skip it.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the majado (bread paste)
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 slices stale white breadabout 50 g, crusts removed
- 3 cloves garlicpeeled, whole
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch chilli flakes or cayenne (optional)
- 1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar
For the stew
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh spinachwashed, tough stalks removed
- 1 lb cooked chickpeasdrained (two 400 g tins); keep 150 ml of the liquid
- 1 tsp salt
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 2 slices stale white bread for 2–3 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp on both sides. Lift out onto a plate.
3 minStep 2: Fry 3 cloves garlic in the same oil for 1–2 minutes, until golden all over. Lift out and add to the bread.
2 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb fresh spinach to the pan in handfuls with a pinch of salt, turning it as it wilts. Cook for 3–4 minutes until collapsed, then tip into a sieve and press out most of the water. Roughly chop it.
4 minStep 4: Pound the fried bread and garlic with 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera), 1 pinch chilli flakes or cayenne and 1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar in a mortar (or blitz in a small food processor) to a thick, rough paste. Add a spoon of water if it's too dry to come together.
3 minStep 5: Put the pan back over a medium heat, add the majado and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 1 lb cooked chickpeas and ¾ cup water or chickpea cooking liquid and stir until the sauce turns smooth and brick red.
2 minStep 6: Return the spinach to the pan, season with the rest of 1 tsp salt and simmer gently for 5–7 minutes, until the sauce thickly coats the chickpeas. Add a splash more water if it gets too thick.
7 minStep 7: Taste for salt and vinegar, then serve warm in small dishes with bread, as they do in Seville. It's good at room temperature too.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does espinacas con garbanzos take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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