QUICK CHICKPEA AND SPINACH STEW WITH GINGER Restaurant fare is both complex and time-consuming to make—that’s why you pay a lot for it But bringing some of that flavor home needn’t be either This chickpea and spinach stew is based on the garbanzos espinacas that I used to make with Chef John Critchley at Toro in Boston It’s about as classic a Spanish bar snack as there ever was, and you’ll find it all over Spain, flavored with everything from smoky chorizo and rich morcilla (blood sausage) to simpler preparations served with nothing but a spritz of bright sherry vinegar At the restaurant, we’d painstakingly make vegetable stock, brine dried beans, sweat aromatics, braise spinach, and crush olives under the hooves of real live Spanish burros to scatter over the finished dish At least, we did most of that stuff Painstakingly tasty is how I’d describe that kind of food At home, I’m happy to take a couple of shortcuts This version, which ends up somewhere between a soup and a stew, relies on canned chickpeas and their liquid for body, but giving them a bit of a simmer with some aromatics—garlic, onion, bay leaf, and smoked paprika— adds a ton of flavor to them (Remember the lessons on canned beans in Chapter 2?) The unique part is the bit of ginger added to the pureed tomatoes It’s not enough to make itself obvious, but it’s just enough to add a bit of complex heat to the saucy backbone of the dish This is great served hot in a bowl as is, but to be honest, I actually like it better on the second day, served room temperature on top of slices of dark toast drizzled with olive oil Perfect fare for when you want to act all cool, sophisticated, and suave at that Spanish wine tasting you’re going to host Or something like that SERVES 3 OR 4 One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes One 1-inch knob ginger, peeled ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving 1 medium onion, finely sliced 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced ...ginger added to the pureed tomatoes It’s not enough to make itself obvious, but it’s just enough to add a bit of complex heat to the saucy backbone of the dish This is great served hot in a bowl as is, but to be honest,... complex heat to the saucy backbone of the dish This is great served hot in a bowl as is, but to be honest, I actually like it better on the second day, served room temperature on top of slices of dark toast drizzled with olive