Chickpea and Spinach Stew

• Recipe by Janet Mendel

Tomato, golden raisins and saffron transform canned chickpeas in this sweet and savory specialty of Seville from Spanish cookbook author Janet Mendel.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup water
2. 10 ounces baby spinach
3. 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
4. Kosher salt
5. Pinch of saffron threads
6. 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
7. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8. Pinch of ground cloves
9. Pinch of freshly ground pepper
10. Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas with their liquid
11. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12. 1 small onion, finely chopped
13. 1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
14. 1/4 cup golden raisins
15. Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Pour the water into a large deep skillet and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and cook over high heat, tossing frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing hard on the leaves to extract the liquid. Coarsely chop the spinach.
2. Using the flat side of a large knife, mash the garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the saffron. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl. Add the paprika, cumin, cloves and black pepper and mash until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid.
3. Wipe out the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the spiced garlic sauce to the onion and tomato in the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the chickpeas and the remaining liquid to the skillet. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add the spinach, reduce the heat to moderate, and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the chickpea stew to 4 deep bowls, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, and serve.

Serve With

Crusty bread.