Espinacas con Garbanzos (Sevillian Spinach and Chickpeas)

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 white bread, crusts removed
• 4 garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 500 g spinach, washed
• 480 g chickpeas, drained
• 1½ dl vegetable stock
• ½ tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

Method

1. 1.

   Fry the bread and garlic — Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Fry the bread until deep gold on both sides, about 2 minutes a side, and lift it out. Drop in the whole garlic cloves and fry for barely a minute, until they smell sweet and turn pale gold, then lift them out too. Take the pan off the heat if the garlic threatens to darken; burnt garlic makes the whole dish bitter.

2. 2.

   Wilt and squeeze the spinach — Add the spinach to the same pan in handfuls with a splash of water, turning it as each batch collapses, for about 4 minutes until it is all wilted. Tip it into a sieve, press out the water firmly and chop it roughly.

3. 3.

   Pound the spiced picada — Tear the fried bread into a mortar with the fried garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, vinegar and a good pinch of salt, and pound to a thick, sandy paste. Loosen it with a spoonful of the stock. A small blender does the same job in seconds.

4. 4.

   Simmer the chickpeas in the paste — Return the pan to medium heat, add the drained chickpeas and the rest of the stock, and stir in the paste. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until the liquid thickens and coats the chickpeas rather than pooling around them.

5. 5.

   Fold in the spinach and season — Fold the chopped spinach through and cook for a final 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is glossy and almost dry. Taste and correct with salt, black pepper and a few more drops of vinegar — it should be earthy, smoky and just sharp enough to make you go back for more.

6. 6.

   Drizzle with oil to serve — Serve warm rather than piping hot, in a shallow bowl with a last thread of olive oil over the top, with bread on the side to scoop it up.