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Fried Chickpeas | Photo © Facebook Cuban Food

Fried Chickpeas

Kitchen, Additional dish

Kitchen, Additional dish

Preparation Time:
30
Note:
This is a recipe for using leftovers. Usually, chickpeas that have been previously cooked in other dishes are used, such as Cocido Madrileño, Sopa de Garbanzos, or Escudella Catalana. In these cases, the soft chickpeas are separated from the broth and the meats. They are reserved and later sautéed in a base made with onion, tomato, bacon, and chorizo.
Ingredients:
  • 300 grams of raw chickpeas
  • A bay leaf
  • A medium onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 chorizos cut into thin slices
  • 200 grams of bacon cut into small cubes
  • Sweet paprika
  • Salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:

First part:

Soak the chickpeas overnight (or about 12 hours before). Drain them and transfer to a pot with water, salt, and a bay leaf. Let them cook over medium heat until tender, about 2 hours in a saucepan or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. The time depends on the type of chickpeas. Avoid letting them disintegrate; they should be soft but not too mushy.

Once the chickpeas are soft, drain them and set them aside.

Second part.

Cut the onion into very fine julienne and crush the garlic. Cut the chorizo and bacon into small pieces. Heat a little oil in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic to sauté. When the onion changes color and becomes transparent, add the bacon and chorizo. Stir everything well with a wooden spoon.

When the chorizo and bacon have released enough fat, add the chopped tomatoes, stir well, and let it cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the tomato breaks down and forms a sauce. Some people add a pinch of sugar at this point to balance the acidity of the tomato.

Add the chickpeas to the pan and mix them well. Sprinkle paprika to taste and adjust the salt as needed. Let it cook on low heat for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve them very hot. You can garnish them with a little finely chopped parsley.

Rations:
4