25th Sep 2023 @ 9:28 am

Garbanzada is a Canarian classic – a hearty chickpea stew that is perfect for the colder months of the year. It’s so hearty and filling that it’s often served as a tapa or a starter.

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g dry chickpeas
  • 100g spicy chorizo
  • 100g pancetta
  • ½ red pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ white onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 20g white wine
  • 250g prok ribs
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
  • 400g water
  • Salt & pepper

METHOD

1. Soak the chickpeas in warm water with bicarbonate overnight.

2. Boil the chickpeas and ribs in a covered pot for one hour (20 mins in a pressure cooker) with a bayleaf. Remove any scum that floats to the top.

3. Prepare your sofrito: Fry chopped onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil for ten minutes (add garlic after 5 minutes). Add chopped chorizo and panceta and fry for 10 more minutes, then add chopped or grated tomato and white wine. Cook for five more minutes.

4. Add the chickpeas and meat to this sofrito. Season, stir well and cook for a further 20 minutes.

5. Serve in an earthenware bowl, garnished with parsley.

As with all stews such as this, it tastes even better on the following day.

CHEF’S TIP

This is a classic Canarian peasant dish and can easily be adapted to include all sorts of other ingredients. For example, add diced carrots to your sofrito, or add chopped, peeled potatoes, chopped kale, spinach or runner beans to the dish at stage 4.

Panceta and pork ribs are also available salted (salada), with a distinctive flavour much loved by the Canarians. If you try this, soak them on the night before, changing the water a couple of times.

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