When I was a kid, this is one of those dishes my abuelita tricked me into eating to get me to eat healthy meals. I remember being amazed at her patience as she soaked the dried garbanzo beans overnight. Though nowadays we can get canned, ready-to-serve beans, they aren’t as healthy.
PATIENCE FOR A PERFECT POTAJE
So, I call upon my abuelita’s patience this winter when I make this dish and let the organic, dried garbanzos soak overnight, just the way she taught me.
As I cook this stew, I often close my eyes and picture my grandmother standing patiently by the stove; cooking from scratch and using fresh, in-season ingredients.
This garbanzo stew packs amazing nutritional value. Wholesome and complete, you can serve it as a main course…no side dishes needed.
Read Related: Estefan’s Sopa de Chicharos (Split Pea Soup)
POTAJE DE GARBANZOS
Serves: 4-6
Time: 90 minutes (not including overnight soaking of beans)
Ingredients
1 lb. dried garbanzo beans
½ lb. fresh spinach
2 large carrots
3 medium onions
2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 hard-boiled eggs
4 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 TBSP fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let them sit overnight to soften.
- The next day, drain and place the garbanzos in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
- When the water breaks into a boil, add the olive oil, the whole carrots, two garlic cloves, two whole onions, and the parsley. Cook until the garbanzo beans are tender, for about an hour.
- While the garbanzos are cooking, wash and chop the fresh spinach. Set aside.
- Scoop out the onions and carrots from the pot and using a blender, mash. Add the mixture to the pot again to thicken the stock.
- Finely chop the remaining onion and garlic clove. Sauté in olive oil with one tablespoon of the ground parsley. When the onion is translucent, add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach to the beans and when the spinach is cooked, add the tomatoes, garlic, and onion mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Chop the hard-boiled eggs and add them to the stew right before removing pot from heat.
- Serve with bread.
Note: You can also add chorizo or ham.
