Spanish Chickpea Stew with Kale and Salt Pork

Spanish Chickpea Stew with Kale and Salt PorkSpanish Feast

A couple of weekends ago we had our cookbook club dinner and I have to say it was one of the best dinners we have had in a while. It may have been the subject matter. You can’t go wrong with Spanish fare…

The book was Curate by Katie Button, and I don’t think there was anything that we made that wasn’t fantastic. Everything was good. Even the octopus—and I am not a huge fan of octopus. The very best part? The book is intended for American kitchens, which means the ingredients aren’t hard to find and the recipes aren’t too involved.

One of the recipes I made was Stewed Chickpeas with Collard Greens and Salt Pork. Because of schedule overload I had to make this the night before, and it was so good that my husband and I couldn’t keep ourselves from having a bowl. This stew is more like a hearty soup, but it makes for a super (see what I did there? ) satisfying bowl that hits the spot on a cold night.

I would definitely recommend using the Edison Grainery Garbanzo Beans that we have here at the store, as they seemed to re-hydrate better than others I have tried. And, I choose to use kale rather than collards.

Serve this with some warm crusty bread and a nice Spanish Rioja….

Spanish Chickpea Stew with Kale and Salt Pork
Adapted from Curate by Katie Button
Serves 4 to 6 as a main course

Ingredients
1 pound dried garbanzo beans(chickpeas)
1 1/2 pounds flat-leafed kale
6 ounces salt pork, cut into 1/2-lnchcubes
2 large onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon pimenton (smoked sweet paprika)
1 ham hock
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Directions

The Day Before
Place the garbanzo beans in a large bowl, and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Cover the bowl, and place in the fridge overnight.

The Day Of
Wash the kale well. To trip, stack 5 or 6 leaves on a cutting board. Cut out the stems and central ribs, slicing along the sides to form a narrow “V.” Discard the stems. Roll the leaves lengthwise, and cut across to form 1-inch wide ribbons.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the salt pork until the fat renders (about 5 minutes).

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Next, add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5
minutes). Stir in the bay leaf and pimenton.

Drain the garbanzos and stir into the pot, then add the ham hock and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Next, stir in the kale and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low. and simmer until the garbanzos and ham hock meat are tender (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours).

Remove the ham hock, and place on a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull off the meat and return the meat to the pot. Discard the bones and cartilage. Stir in the vinegar. Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot.

The stew can be cooled and refrigerated in airtight containers for up 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop.

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