Potaje De Garbanzo Cuban Chickpea Stew Food

POTAJE DE GARBANZOS (CUBAN GARBANZO BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, green pepper, Sazón seasoning, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker in color and thickened, about 1 minute. Add the vino seco to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
• Add the garbanzo beans, potatoes, chorizo and 5 cups of water. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the chickpeas are very soft, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes have softened, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of them against the side of the pot to thicken the stew. Serve the stew over hot rice, if desired.

POTAJE DE GARBANZOS (CHICKPEA STEW - SPAIN)

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large pot of cold water to cover; drain.
• In the large pot combine chickpeas, 4 cups water, garlic, bay leaves, slab bacon, and bone; bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the oil and saute the bread slices until golden on both sides.
• Remove and reserve the bread.
• Add the ham and onion to the skillet; saute until the onion has wilted.
• Stir in the paprika, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the onion mixture to the chickpeas.
• Add the greens, potatoes, and salt to taste to the chickpeas and continue cooking 30 minutes or more, or until the chickpeas and potatoes are tender.
• Remove the ham or beef bone.
• In a mortar or food processor, combine the sauteed bread, almonds, 2 Tablespoons of the chickpeas from the pot, and the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs; mash to a paste.
• Stir the paste into the stew, cover and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
• Chop the hard-boiled egg whites.
• Divide into soup bowls and garnish with chopped hard-boiled egg whites.

POTAJE DE GARBANZO (CUBAN CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas. In a large bowl, soak the chickpeas in room temp water for 10 hours. Drain.
• Simmer the chickpeas. In a Dutch oven or large pot with a lid, add the chickpeas with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, covered with a lid, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas have softened, adding 1/4 cup water at a time when necessary to prevent the stew from drying out.
• Make the sofrito. In a large skillet, heat oil at medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers. Saute for 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the ham and chorizo. Stir together with the veggies and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the chorizo and ham are lightly browned. Stir the tomato sauce, wine, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, and salt + pepper to taste. Simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
• Mash the chickpeas. After 30 minutes of simmering, the chickpeas should have softened. If they're still firm, continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes until they have softened. Remove 1/4 cup of the softened chickpeas from the pot and mash them with a fork. Add the mashed chickpeas, the sofrito, and the potatoes into the Dutch oven. Add more water if needed.
• Continue to cook the stew, covered, for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf. The chickpea stew can be served immediately unless you prefer a thicker consistency. For a thicker consistency, simmer for an extra 10-15 minutes. Serve by itself or over white rice. Enjoy!