Spanish Chard with Chickpeas

Tender chard leaves mixed with creamy chickpeas, bound by a garlicky smoked paprika sauce. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the vegetables, with a warm aroma of toasted bread and paprika.

• Prep time: 15 min
• Cook time: 25 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 568
• Protein: 24 g
• Carbs: 61 g
• Fat: 22 g

Ingredients

• 800 g Swiss chard, côte (sans feuille) ( washed and roughly chopped )
• 400 g Chickpea ( cooked and drained )
• 3 piece Garlic ( peeled )
• 1 piece White bread ( thick slice )
• 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Cumin ground
• 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt

Instructions

1. Blanch the chard

   Plunge the stems and leaves into boiling salted water. They should wilt and become supple. Drain them well, pressing to remove all excess water, otherwise the dish will be watery.

2. Fry the garlic and bread

   In a pan with olive oil, brown the garlic cloves and the slice of bread. The garlic should be golden and the bread crispy, with a nice hazelnut color.

3. Prepare the paste

   Crush the fried garlic, bread, cumin, and vinegar into a thick paste. This mixture will give body to the sauce and bind the ingredients together.

4. Sauté and assemble

   Sauté the chickpeas in the pan with the smoked paprika. When it smells smoky, add the chard and the bread paste. Stir until the sauce coats every piece.

Chef's tips

• Don't throw away the chard stems, cut them smaller than the leaves so they cook at the same time.
• The secret is in frying the bread: it must be truly dry and golden for the binding to be perfect.

Storage

Keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The flavors develop even more the next day.