Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Yesterday I pulled out my folder full of recipe clippings from old magazines. I came across this recipe that I saved from Food and Wine's "Best Fast Recipes Ever", September 2008 issue. I made it for dinner tonight....a perfect meal to eat while watching Monday Night Football!

Ingredients

1 cup water

10 ounces baby spinach

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

kosher salt

pinch of saffron threads

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, with their liquid

olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped tomato

1/4 cup golden raisins

In a large skillet bring the water to a boil and saute spinach until wilted. Drain the spinach and chop it. Mix the crushed garlic cloves, salt, saffron, paprika, cumin, cloves, pepper, and 1/4 cup of chickpea liquid in a small bowl to create a paste. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and saute the onion and tomato for about 3 minutes. Add the spiced garlic sauce and cook for another minute. Add the chickpeas & their liquid, as well as the raisins and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and simmer over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve!