Facebook Comida Cubana
Fried Chickpeas | Photo © Facebook Cuban Cuisine

Fried Chickpeas

Kitchen, Additional dish

Kitchen, Additional dish

Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Note:
This is a recipe for using up leftovers. Typically, pre-cooked chickpeas are used from other dishes, such as Cocido Madrileño, Chickpea Soup, or Escudella Catalana. In these cases, the tender chickpeas are separated from the broth and meat. They are set aside and later sautéed in a sofrito 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 sliced into thin rounds
  • 200 grams of bacon, diced
  • 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 casserole or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. The cooking time depends on the type of chickpeas. Avoid overcooking; they should be soft but not mushy.

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

Second part.

Slice the onion into very fine julienne strips and crush the garlic. Cut the chorizo and bacon into small pieces. Heat a bit of 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 tomatoes break down and form a sauce. Some people add a pinch of sugar at this stage to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

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

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

Rations:
4