Vegetarian Dish: Chickpea and Spinach Gratin Provençal
©Francois de Melogue
The inspiration for my recipe for Chickpea and Spinach Gratin is Richard Olney’s delicious classic cookbook Simple French Food. It is a traditional Provençal vegetarian preparation that is easy to make and will impress your friends. In keeping with the book’s title, this recipe is an easy preparation that does not use milk or cheese for the gratin. Instead, the rich flavour comes from eggs, ground almonds, and saffron. Please take a look at my video for this recipe.
Chickpea and Spinach Gratin
This vegetarian dish is made with chickpea and spinach gratin baked in breadcrumbs and drizzled in olive oil.
Equipment
- mortar and pestle or a food processor
Ingredients
- 2 quarts boiling water
- 2 lbs baby spinach
- 12 Marcona almonds
- 1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette or piment d'Ville
- big pinch saffron threads
- pinch black pepper cracked
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs separated
- 2 cups chickpeas cooked **See how-to video in notes.
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bring water to a rapid boil in a large stockpot and cook spinach for 3 minutes. You probably will not believe that all the spinach will fit into your pot, and you may even re-read the recipe to ensure you read it correctly. When the spinach is cooked, drain and keep BOTH the spinach and the spinach water. Reduce the spinach water in a pot over medium heat until 1 cup of liquid remains.
- With a mortar and pestle, pound the almonds until they are smooth and almost like peanut butter in consistency. Add the piment, saffron, and black pepper and continue beating until they are well incorporated into the mixture. Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth and well combined. Separately, slice the egg whites and reserve them. You can use a food processor if you do not have a mortar and pestle.
- Mix the spinach, spinach water, egg yolk mixture, egg whites, chickpeas, and tomato sauce in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preferences. Oil a 9X5 oval gratin dish with half the olive oil. Pour in the chickpea mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and drizzle the remaining olive oil over. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.
Notes
** To learn how to cook dried chickpeas, watch this video.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Cauliflower Gratin
If you are looking for an easy and delicious side dish to complete your meal you should try this recipe!
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Easy side dishes to accompany roasted meats or fish or even just a green salad
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