Garbanzo beans, aka chick peas, are great over rice, with polenta, alone, or as a side. They are a “Vegan Essential” because they are simple to prepare and can be applied to many dishes. They do take a while to make though. Many people like to soak their beans the day of or the day before for eight hours, however, I prefer to cook them for four hours in the base generated by the vegetables and spices because they end up so flavorful in comparison to the pre-soak method. I usually cook these on a Sunday and serve them throughout the week.
Tools
- 5 Qt. dutch oven
- Knife and cutting board
- Measuring cup and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried of garbanzo beans
- 1 large tomato
- 1 onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon of oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 4-6 cups water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- Wash beans and sort out any rocks. Soak in water and set aside.
- Chop onion, mince garlic, and dice the tomato
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil until hot, for about 30 seconds. Pour in the garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes or until onion is clear.
- Put in the diced tomato. Pour in the wine and remaining spices, cover, and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until vegetables cook down generating a liquid base.
- Pour the water out of the bowl the garbanzos are sitting in and place beans in pot with the vegetable base, and stir and cook for about minutes
- Pour in the 4 cups of water, taste and add additional salt if desired, cover and cook low for approximately 4 hours or until beans break. Check the pot occasionally because the beans will absorb the water, and add more water as needed.
