Given the cold and thankfully wet winter we are enjoying,
Lynne took a risk and planted a pot full of spinach. No, not chard, real
spinach. It was needing a first harvest of rain-drenched leaves, so she went
searching for a suitable recipe. The weather has been SO cold for Cape Town and
soup is again on the menu. This is from the Casa Moro cookbook, a favourite in
our household, by Sam and Sam Clark in London
400 g home cooked chickpeas (see below) or 2 x 400g
cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained – 1 pinch of bicarbonate of soda - 150 ml
extra virgin olive oil – 300g fresh spinach, washed and well drained – 75g
white bread, crust removed, cut into 2 cm cubes – 3 garlic cloves, thinly
sliced – ¾ of a teaspoon cumin seeds – 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh, roughly
chopped oregano – 1 small dried chilli, crumbled – 1 Tablespoon red wine
vinegar – 700-800 ml water or chickpea liquor, or a mixture of the two – 60
threads of saffron, infused in 4 Tablespoons of boiling water – ½ teaspoon of
sweet Spanish paprika – sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
If using dried chickpeas, place them in a bowl with
plenty of cold water and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda and leave to soak
overnight. Drain in a colander, rinse well, then place in a saucepan with half
an onion or 1 head of garlic. Cover with 2 litres of cold water and bring to
the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming off any scum, for 1 to 2 hours
or until soft and tender. (Lynne: it’s so much easier to open two tins!)
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add 1.5
Tablespoons of oil. When hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt and stir
well. Remove when the leaves have wilted and are just tender. Cool then chop
quite finely and set aside
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium
heat and fry the bread cubes until golden brown all over, then add the garlic
and cumin seeds. When the garlic begins to colour, add the oregano and chilli,
and continue cooking until the garlic is brown. Transfer to a mortar and pestle
or food processor with the vinegar and mash to a paste. Now put the bread paste
into the saucepan, add the drained chickpeas, water, saffron infusion and
paprika and simmer for 10 minutes. Whizz the chickpeas until almost smooth (we
prefer a little bit of texture to the soup). Return to the pan if necessary and
season with salt and pepper. If the consistency is too thick (a bit thicker
than double cream is right) add some more water. Stir in the spinach until it
too is hot. Check seasoning and serve
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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