Andalusian Chickpea and Spinach Soup

A filling and comforting simple peasant soup that is often served with toasted or fried bread doused with vinegar, pine nuts, hard-boiled egg and parsley added at the end.qLJ0Pq

1 cup chickpeas, washed, picked over and soaked for 4 hours or overnight in 1 quart water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes with juice or 1 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt to taste
Pinch of saffron
1 lb spinach, washed thoroughly, stemmed and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground pepper

1. Drain the chickpeas and combine with 1 quart fresh water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer until tender, 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2 of the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, paprika and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down to a fragrant sauce, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add the chickpeas with their liquid, the potatoes, wine, more salt to taste, pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining garlic, the saffron and the spinach and simmer another 5 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

Variations: You can add toasted bread, plain or doused with vinegar, when you add the spinach, for a thicker soup.

Yield: 6 servings.

Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 3 up to a day ahead. You might want to hold off adding the spinach until you reheat, if you want it to have a nice color. Bring the soup to a simmer and proceed with Step 4.

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 259 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 41 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 79 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 11 grams protein

 

Courtesy of Martha Rose Shulman