Chickpea Stew With Spinach And Potatoes

• 3/4 pound dried chickpeas (2 1/4 cups)--rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 garlic cloves, 1 minced
• 2 large thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces lean bacon, finely diced
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Pinch of saffron, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound spinach, stemmed, leaves coarsely chopped

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chickpeas with the 3 whole garlic cloves, the thyme and bay leaf. Cover with 4 inches of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until just tender, 1 3/4 to 2 hours; add more water as needed to keep the chickpeas submerged. Season with salt and simmer 10 minutes longer. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the garlic, thyme and bay leaf.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole. Add the onion, bacon and minced garlic; cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved chickpeas, stock, reserved cooking liquid, crushed red pepper, saffron and black pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
3. Notes: One Serving: 570 calories, 6 gm total fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 80 gm carb.

chickpeas, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, kosher salt, extravirgin olive oil, onion, lean bacon, potatoes, chicken stock, red pepper, saffron, freshly ground black pepper, spinach

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chickpea-stew-with-spinach-potatoes (may not work)