Spinach and Chickpeas

I was going through my pictures and realized I never posted this a few weeks back. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and thought it looked and sounded pretty tasty. It was! And I simplified several things to make it pretty fast and easy to make. This was a tasty, different meatless meal. The flavors were great and it was fun to eat on the little toasts. We all really liked it a lot.

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)

1/2 pound dried chickpeas, cooked until soft and tender* or two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spinach, washed
A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf bread, crusts removed and cut inset small cubes
1/2 cup (2 ounces) tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt. Do in batches, if necessary and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside. (I skipped this step at this point and just added the spinach at the end to wilt.)

Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown. (I changed this step and just toasted my bread.)

Transfer to a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. (I skipped the food processor and just added the ingredients to te skillet.) Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper. (This is when I added my spinach to wilt down.)

If the consistency is a little thick, add some water. Add the spinach and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve with paprika on top, or on fried bread toasts (as the Spanish do).