Finding veggie food in Spain is easier than it was, but still not easy – a lot of the time, a dish which looks like it is vegetarian will have something hiding in there which isn’t. This lovely tapa of spinach and chickpeas is however always a safe bet. It is particularly common in Andalucia, especially Seville, due to the North African influence in the food there

01.

Ingredients

2tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
3tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika
250g Cooked Chickpeas
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
4 bunches Spinach, thoroughly washed and cleaned

02.

Method

  • Heat the olive oil in a pan, and fry the garlic until golden. Next add the chickpeas, the paprika and the cumin and saute for a minute or two.
  • Roughly chop up the spinach, chuck it in the pan and stir well. Add a little water, plus a slug more of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for a further five minutes until the spinach is well wilted.
  • A nice touch is to garnish the dish with a few croutons made with bread rubbed with garlic, along with a few pine nuts.