Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Soaking : 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 6-8 Servings Main Dish
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. dried garbanzo beans
- 1 leak
- 2 yellow onions
- 1 carrot
- salt to taste
- 6-8 Tablespoons Spanish olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 fresh green bell peppers (or roasted)
- 1 fresh red bell pepper (or roasted)
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 1 red onion
- 1 ripe tomato
- 1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 fried eggs (optional)
Preparation:
Note: Use roasted peppers to make preparation of this stew even easier.
Rinse garbanzo beans thoroughly and discard any pebbles or debris that may have been in the package. Place in a large stock pot, covering with 1-2 inches of cold water. Allow to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.
After soaking, change the water in the garbanzos. Add enough water to cover garbanzos and add the leak, 1 coarsely chopped yellow onion and the carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to low. Simmer for 1 hour. Add salt to taste and remove from heat. Cover pot with lid.
If using fresh peppers, roast them now: While the garbanzos are cooking, place whole bell peppers over a hot BBQ grill or under the broiler. Turn occasionally, so that you allow skins to bubble and blister on all sides. Then, place in a plastic bag and seal it up. Allow to stand for 15 minutes or so. Now you can open the bag and peel them with your fingers! The steam from inside the bag loosens the skins. For step-by-step details, read the article, How to Roast Bell Peppers by About.com’s Guide to Southern Cooking.
Once the peppers to peeled, be sure you remove the membranes, seeds and stems. Slice into strips.
If using roasted peppers, be sure to drain them thoroughly and remove seeds. Slice into strips.
Peel and thinly slice the yellow and red onions. Chop the tomato. Peel and thinly slice the cloves of garlic.
Pour a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a large frying pan and when hot, add onions, garlic and tomato. Saute for about 5 minutes. Then, add about ½ cup of water to pan and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add strips of roasted peppers. Add salt to taste and remove from heat.
Sofrito is cooked tomato sauce. The Spanish use if often and it can have onions and peppers in it, or simply tomato sauce. In a small frying pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat. Add 1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce and stir, cooking for 5-7 minutes or so on medium heat. Reduce heat if tomato sauce splatters too much.
Drain the garbanzos of liquid, but leave in the large pot. Add the pepper mixture and the sofrito to the garbanzos. Stir thoroughly and add salt, if necessary. Heat 5 minutes or so. Serve with bread. Ladle garbanzos into bowls. Top with a fried egg, if desired.
