POTAJE DE GARABANZOS CON ESPINACAS

INGREDIENTS
3 medium potatoes (500g) peeled and cut into quarters
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
500g spinach leaves, fresh or frozen and defrosted
1 tablespoon red or white vinegar
Salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 slices of bread (about 75g), crusts removed
1 teaspoon pimentn dulce or sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A pinch of ground chilli pepper or cayenne (optional)
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, yolks reserved and whites chopped

METHOD
Put the potatoes and chickpeas into a large pan with about 750ml of the stock, and
simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Put the fresh or frozen spinach leaves on top and
cover the pan. Fresh leaves will soften quickly and collapse in the steam. Stir them in.
Add vinegar and salt, and cook for 10 minutes more.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the whole garlic cloves and the bread over a mediumhigh heat, turning them over until golden brown. Keep a careful watch, as they brown
very quickly. Drain on paper towels then put in the food processor with the pimentn,
cumin and ground chilli pepper, if using, and blend to a fine paste. Add the hard-boiled
egg yolks and blend again. Gradually pour in the remaining 250ml stock and blend to a
thin cream. Pour this into the soup, stir the chopped hard-boiled egg whites and heat
through.

Before serving, add some water if necessary to thin the soup a little although it is
meant to be thick.