Galician chickpea stew

Ingredients (serves 6)

•600g chickpeas (100g per person)
•2 fillets of fresh cod with skin on (approx 300g)
•300 g spinach (frozen)
•2 medium onions, chopped and 1 small onion, whole
•3 large carrots, chopped and 2 small carrots, whole
•1 courgette
•1 clove garlic
•1 teaspoon hot paprika
•4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
•2 teaspoons flour
•1 bay leaf
•1 boiled eggs

Soak chickpeas overnight (at least 12 hours) in cold water.

After soaking, strain chickpeas and place in a tall saucepan of warm water (approximately 2 inches above level of chickpeas) with the bay leaf, the whole clove of garlic (unpeeled), the small whole onion and two small whole carrots. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Test the chickpeas –they should still be firm, not hard– as they will be cooked more later on and will soften up then. Remove from heat and let sit.

In a separate saucepan (where the “potaje” will be cooked), add extra virgin olive oil (enough to cover base of pot) and warm slightly. Then add the finely chopped garlic (remove from heat if browning) and finely chopped onion, diced carrots and diced courgette and sauté for 5 minutes over a low flame.

In the same saucepan, add the hot paprika powder and stir. Stirring continuously, add the flour and pour in some stock from the boiled chickpeas. Keep stirring and add most of the remaining chickpea stock (topping up with fish stock/hot water if necessary) until the liquid is smooth and creamy in texture. Cook over a medium flame and add cod (cut into chunks of 2 to 3cm, with skin on).

Increase to high heat and boil for 5 minutes –checking constantly– taste and add more salt if necessary. If the mixture thickens at this point, add more stock/hot water.

Add the spinach and leave it to boil on medium heat for a further 3 minutes. Then add the diced, boiled eggs and continue to simmer (still medium heat) for a couple of minutes more.

Then add the chickpeas to the main pot and keep on a low heat for a final 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!