Chickpeas with Rice. A healthy Meal

Open Letter to Chefs

Hi Pablo,

As I told you on Monday, this is the meal that Julio and I have been talking at last cycling route: chickpeas with rice. Julio ask me to send him the recipe when we cycling.

It’s a typical Leon meal which my wife prepares very often as first course. It’s a easy meal and very healthy. And see you if It’s so easy than I can do it, jaja.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

   . Chickpeas (of course), four handfuls (handful is a capacity measure and it depends of hand size, jeje. It’s more or less as a teacup). I recommend you the “pico pardal”, a chickpeas class that they are small but very tasty and normally they don´t peel in cooking.

                . Rice, a coffee cup (only one, you remember the name, Chickpeas with Rice, not Rice with chickpeas).

                . Garlic

                . Onion

                . Olive oil

                . Salt

                . Sweet paprika

Preparation:

1    1st.    Boil the chickpeas with a half clean onion into a Express pot for 15 minutes (important: you don’t chop the onion, it must be entire). The water must cover the chickpeas one finger, more or less. You shouldn’t add salt because chickpeas are a little salty.

2       2sd. When finish cooking, you open the pot, remove the onion and you must put back on fire and when the water start to boil, you add the rice. Stir slowly and leave boil for 12-15 minutes. You can taste and if should be necessary, add a pinch of salt or more. Of course, for boil the rice, don’t use Express technique.

3       3rd. While the rice is cooking, peel and chop a clove of garlic. Fry lightly in a pan with pure olive oil. When the garlic is golden, you switch off the fire, and retire the pan from the heat. Add a half teaspoon of sweet paprika and stir a minute, out of the fire.

*       4th. And finally, when the rice finish cooking, pour the oil into a pot with the chickpeas and rice, and It’s just for eat.

It’s very easy, really. And remember: It’s a first course. Bon appetit, guy

See you later.

Ignacio Vázquez