CHICKPEAS W. TOMATOES & SPINACH

I ordered some lunch at work recently from a Mediterranean restaurant and although the entire meal was great, it was one dish that specifically stood out to me. As I ate this chickpea dish I just kept dissecting the flavors I tasted. Some hints of garlic. Notes of cinnamon. But it was also a little thick and borderline gelatinous, which I found surprising.  

A few years ago if it wasn't hummus, I wasn't really interested in whole chickpeas.  Now, I can't eat fabulously without them. When I started putting this recipe together in my mind remembering the flavors I had that day at lunch, the notes of cinnamon kept coming to me. I knew that was going to be a key ingredient. When I started cross referencing this recipe online I found that so many people made these simmered chickpeas with spinach in tomato sauce in a various number of ways, from curries to simple brown stews. With my recipe below, I narrowed it down to basic whole ingredients that shine bright and you can taste the freshness. 

Chickpeas w. Tomatoes & Spinach 

4 cans of chickpeas, drained slightly & saving the aquafaba 

2 cans of mixed variety tomatoes, crushed and puree'd tomatoes preferred 

1/2 large onion, peeled & chopped 

4 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced 

2 bunches of loose spinach, thoroughly rinsed

Chicken or vegetable stock 

Sugar, about 2 Tablespoons

Salt 

Cooking oil 

Ground Black Pepper

Ground Cinnamon 

Cold Butter 

half-n-half , optional

Drain canned chickpeas of excess liquid only keeping the aquafaba, the thick paste like liquid at the bottom of the can. Add stock to this paste, swirling around to to catch any residual and set aside. 

Add some oil to a large pot over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic until soft, about 6 minutes. Once onions are soft add in cans of tomatoes, some stock to loosen and let simmer for 15 minutes. When tomato sauce begins to simmer, season with desired amount of salt, pepper, cinnamon and sugar to cut the bitterness from the tomatoes. Next add in the chickpeas, aquafaba, and more stock if the sauce becomes too thick and bring back up to a simmer. Next fold in cleaned spinach and stir until spinach has completely wilted down and cooked in the chickpeas. Lastly add a small amount of half-n-half if using and cold butter, and adjust any of the seasonings to your preference. Eat Fabulously.

***You should be able to taste the cinnamon but it should not be overpowering