More fake meat: chickpeas with vegetarian chorizo 2 ways

I know that this may sound gross, but it isn't. As I explained in an earlier posting on vegetarian chili, I have become out of both choice and necessity a devote of fake meat.

My niece was coming over for Friday night dinner, and made a special request of a recipe that had just appeared in Mark Bittman's minimalist column: fried chickpeas with chorizo and spinach. For the original recipe, see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24minirex.html?ref=dining . But, since she is a vegetarian, and I don't eat pork anymore, some experimentation was called for. Since the vegetarian sausage is lacking in both spice and fat and therefore much flavor, some further doctoring was needed in the form of smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton), black pepper and garlic, which made up for some of the flavors that would be found in the original chorizo. Here is what we did with it:

Chickpeas with vegetarian chorizo

Ingredients

* olive oil

* 2 vegetarian chorizos (I used Lifetime brand)

* 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possible (about half a pound cooked, or the contents of a 28 ounce can)

* 5 cloves chopped garlic

* 1 chopped shallot or 1/4 cup chopped onion

* 1 tablespoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika

* Salt and black pepper

* 1/2 pound spinach

* 1/4 cup sherry

* 1 to 2 cups bread crumbs.

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Quarter, then slice the chorizo and fry on medium heat until crisp. This takes 5 or 10 minutes depending on how crisp you like it. Remove to a plate.

2. Add 2-3 more tablespoons of oil to the skillet, and the chickpeas, dried well, and fry over medium high heat until they are brown and crisp a bit, about 10 minutes.

3. Push the chickpeas to the side, add a bit of oil, and 3cloves of chopped garlic and the onion or shallot. When they are soft, add the smoked paprika and about 10 grinds of black pepper. Cook on low until the paprika loses some of its raw aroma, and then incorporate into the chickpeas. Mix in the chorizo.

4. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan then add the garlic and saute on medium for under a minute.

5. Add spinach and sherry and stir fry until wilted.

6. Remove the spinach to a cutting board and chop coarsely (much easier than wrestling with it when it is raw).

7. Combine chick peas, chorizo, and spinach in a thin layer in a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and drizzle with some more olive oil or spray with some olive oil spray.

8. Put the dish under the broiler for about 5 minutes to brown.

Since I cooked my own chickpeas, and I had some chorizo left over as well, I made the following dish for lunch during the week. The ingredients are very similar but the effect is completely different. Much easier and less elegant, but no less delicious.

Chickpea stew with vegetarian chorizos and tomato sauce

Ingredients

* olive oil

* 2 vegetarian chorizos (I used Lifetime brand)

* 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possibe (about half a pound cooked, or the contents of a 28 ounce can)

* 5 cloves chopped garlic

* 1 chopped shallot or 1/4 cup chopped onion

* 1 tablespoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika

* Salt and black pepper

* 15 ounce can chopped or crushed tomatoes (I like del Valle from Italian cherry tomatoes, but Muir Glen fire roasted would accentuate the smokiness of the paprika).

Method

1. Slice or dice the chorizo and saute on medium heat in one tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet for about 5 or 10 minutes. Remove to a plate.

2. Add garlic and onions to the skillet with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until soft but not burned. Add paprika, salt and pepper and saute a bit longer to remove the raw smell.

3. Add the tomatoes and cook on high for 5 to 10 minutes until the oil begins to separate.

4. Mix in the chickpeas and chorizo and cook 5 more minutes until heated through. If it looks to dry, add water or chickpea cooking liquid (only if you make your own, not from the can).

5. Serve over rice.

Canned or dried chickpeas: There is really no comparison, and cooking your own chickpeas takes minimal effort. Wash them, soak them over night (or for at least 8 hours at any time of day; as I have said before they are legumes and not phantoms and there is nothing magical about soaking them at night), then rinse and simmer in fresh water until tender to your taste, about 35-50 minutes, depending on the age of the legumes and on your taste. Salt the water about 5 minutes before they are done. You can actually use the water you cook the chickpeas in, unlike the gross slimy liquid from the can. However, life is short, planning in advance doesn't always work, and canned chickpeas are a real convenience, even if my daughter won't eat them.

Menu ideas: either of these dishes, especially the second one, would make a great component of a vegetarian Spanish meal. Try it with spinach or other greens sauteed with pine nuts and raisins, tortilla espagnole (a frittatta like omelet with potatoes) and a tossed salad. Gazpacho or a hot garlic soup with bread and poached eggs would be a good first course.