A cosy vegetarian meal of vegetables, olives and an almond picada topping.
Full of bold flavours, this is a vibrant, super-comforting meal. It’s finished with what the Spanish call a picada — a paste of nuts, bread and herbs that makes a tasty condiment.
INGREDIENTS Serves 4
Olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
100g pitted black olives, halved
200ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus extra to taste
200g spinach
Salt and Black pepper
For the almond picada
1 thick slice of stale sourdough bread, crust removed40g flaked almonds1 bunch of parsley1 small garlic clove
METHOD
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, peppers and fennel with a pinch of salt. Loosely cover the pan with a lid and cook over a medium-high heat for 10 min, stirring occasionally, until the veg start to soften.
Add the garlic, oregano, fennel seeds, cumin and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 min, stirring continuously. Tip in the chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, stock and vinegar. Season generously, depending on the saltiness of the stock and the olives. Bring to a simmer and cook over a gentle heat for 20 min until you have a thick, sauce-like stew.
For the picada, tear the bread into small pieces and throw them into a dry frying pan with the almonds. Toast them gently over a medium heat, stirring and turning them often, until the almonds are golden. It doesn’t matter if the bread isn’t fully toasted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Put the almonds and bread into a small food processor with the parsley, garlic and a pinch of salt. Blitz and add enough olive oil to give you a thick pesto-like consistency. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
When the stew is ready, stir in the spinach and leave for a couple of minutes to allow it to wilt. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and a dash more vinegar if you feel it needs extra sharpness.
Serve ladled into bowls and garnish with a blob of picada to finish.
Original Recipe The Riverford Cookbook
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