espinacas con garbanzos 2

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This is an update of a previous update of this very nice recipe for espinacas con garbanzos, a very traditional version, which is delicious. But it turns out that I almost never make this dish the same way twice and so I’ve been tweaking it, looking up a few more recipes, got confounded by some that add tomato (wut) and then kind of settled on this version, which is what I’ve been doing for a while, except now with added chopped toasted almonds (game changer!).

So here it is. I like using baby spinach that I wilt in the microwave because then you don’t have to boil anything and the spinach comes out much brighter, more tender, and (I think) has more flavour.

Ingredients and instructions below…

  •  560 gr jar of garbanzos (rinsed and drained = 400 gr)
  • 350 gr baby spinach leaves, wilted
  • 250-500 ml hot broth
  • 1 head of garlic, peeled – half sliced, half chopped
  • 6-8 tbsp olive oil (approx)
  • 2 slices of day-old bread
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (hot or sweet)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
  • a squirt of tomato paste (optional)
  • a handful of chopped toasted almonds

Fry the sliced garlic cloves in olive oil until nicely browned. Remove from oil and add the two slices of bread. Fry those on both sides until they are crispy and toasted, remove and cut into small slices. When the garlic and bread has cooled put them in a blender with a handful of toasted almonds and buzz them (pulsing) until they resemble coarse bread crumbs. You could also use the more traditional method of a mortar and pestle, but hey, life’s too short.

Sautée the remaining chopped garlic cloves in olive oil until almost turning brown, then add the cumin, smoked paprika and black pepper and stir well. Toss in the bread mixture, stir it up, then add the broth (start with 200 ml, you can add more later if you need to). Then add the drained garbanzos. On a medium heat add the wilted baby spinach, stirring and tossing until it’s evenly distributed. You may want to add more hot broth at this point if it’s looking dry. Stir it up again and it’s done!