SPANISH CHICKPEAS AND RICE

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I’ll admit I’ve attempted to cook paella on many an occasion and failed spectacularly. It could be due to not having the proper paella pan or using the correct technique, and I’m unable to make it work perfectly. But I am a fan of the idea of cooking rice and several other delicious ingredients in one pot, and that’s why it was that this Spanish Chickpeas and Rice, which loosely is based on paella, came into existence. There is no expensive seafood or saffron; however, there is plenty of flavor packed into one dish.

THERE IS NO MEAT, BUT THERE IS STILL TONS OF FLAVOR

I decided to go vegetarian in the recipe, and so substituted chickpeas for the meat and seafood typically used in paella. I added a lot of spices such as cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, and oregano (flavors you’d normally find in the chorizo) in order to make sure the dish was full of flavor. On. Artichoke hearts gave the word a unique taste and texture and made it more of a one-pot comment rather than a pilaf made of rice and beans. A slice of lemon added to top the word brightens up the recipe and provides it with a summery vibe.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil($0.32)

Two cloves of garlic ($0.16)

1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)

One teaspoon ground cumin ($0.10)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano ($0.05)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)

Cracked black pepper that is fresh($0.05)

One yellow onion ($0.36)

1 cup of uncooked white long-grain rice ($0.33)

1 15oz. container chopped tomatoes($0.79)

1 15oz. can of artichoke hearts that have been quartered ($2.50)

1 15oz. chickpeas ($1.89)

1.5 cups vegetable broth* ($0.18)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or according to your preference) ($0.02)

Fresh parsley in a 1/4-batch ($0.22)

Fresh Lemon ( $0.25)

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop the garlic finely before adding it to a skillet, along with the olive oil. Then, cook on a medium-low flame for about 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Incorporate the smokey paprika oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, and some fresh cracked black pepper into the pan. Stir and sauté the spices within the hot oil for one additional minute.

Cut the onion into small pieces, then add the onion to the pan. Cook the onion until smooth and soft (about 5 minutes). Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes.

The chickpeas and artichoke hearts are put into the pot with the tomatoes in a can (with juices), vegetable broth, and a half teaspoon of salt. Cut the parsley into small pieces and add the chopped parsley to the skillet, leaving some to sprinkle on the dish. Mix all the ingredients in the pan until well blended.

Cover the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Let the skillet get to the point of boiling. When it is at a boil, lower the heat to low and let it simmer over 20 mins. Be sure that it’s simmering throughout the time, and then alter the heat a bit depending on the need to keep it boiling.

After simmering for 20 minutes, please turn off the heat and allow it to rest for 5 minutes without taking off the lid. Then, please take off the cover and fluff it with a fork before topping it with remaining parsley. The lemon is cut into pieces, and the juice is fresh into each serving bowl.