Crunchy Chickpeas with Chorizo and Spinach

This recipe is adapted from another great one by Mark Bittman of the New York Times, and is the second in our series of "pantry staples" to help get you through the COVID quarantine without having to make a lot of trips to the supermarket. My version of this recipe uses canned chickpeas, frozen spinach, and homemade bread crumbs for an easy take on a typical dish from Southern Spain. Paul and I enjoy this as a simple scramble on its own, but it's even better with a nice slice of hot crusty bread brushed with some high-quality olive oil. One of the trickiest parts of the original recipe is getting the chickpeas crispy during frying. Our answer is to just spread them out on a baking sheet and bake them until they are pleasantly crunchy -- healthier and easier! Don't skip the bread crumbs -- their crunchiness adds something special to the dish.

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb Flight Path Farm Chorizo (we usuually use bulk, but you can also cut up links)

1/4 cup olive oil

10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/4 cup sherry

1-2 cups bread crumbs (homemade is best)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake the chickpeas until they are visibly drier and are slightly crunchy, about 20 minutes (or more if you like!). Once you remove the chickpeas from the oven, set the oven to broil.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add chorizo to the pan and fry until cooked, using a spatula to break up the ground into bite-sized pieces. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside.

Add olive oil to the pan; when it's hot, add the spinach and sherry, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and cook until the spinach is soft and liquid has evaporated. Add chorizo and chickpeas back to the pan and toss to combine and heat all elements through. Top with bread crumbs, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and run the pan under the broiler to lightly brown the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

To make breadcrumbs at home: Shred 1-2 cups worth of (preferably stale) high-quality bread into tiny pieces. (Tip -- put it through the grater of a food processor to do this in a snap.) Heat 2-4 T of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re evenly toasted and golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

I keep eating this and forgetting to take a picture, so here's a picture from the internet instead: