Garbanzo Bravas (chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce)

Perhaps inspired by spending a couple of hours in the company of a Spaniard earlier today, I had a bit of a craving for patatas bravas when it came to lunchtime. I was really hungry though, and needed something NOW! Patatas bravas seemed like it would take too long, especially since I had no potatoes, so I decided to create a patatas bravas-inspired lunch: I named it 'garbanzo bravas'. I didn't know the Spanish for chickpeas, but as soon as I saw it, I realised that (unsurprisingly, perhaps) the American English word for chickpeas, garbanzo beans, actually comes from the Spanish. I love how exotic my new dish sounds!

I actually had some leftover homemade tomato sauce from the other night, so the recipe below is a little different to how I made it today, but should give you just the same result. This is quick, easy, and filling - and it makes a nice snack lunch or a side at dinner, or could even be part of a nice salad. Or of course, if you're serving tapas, this could be one of them!

Garbanzo Bravas (chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce)

(serves two)

Ingredients

a little oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

a pinch of salt

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin chickpeas, drained

1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until softened, and add the garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for a further minute - do not let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add a little oil to another pan over a medium heat, and then add the chickpeas and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes until the chickpeas are heated through. Once the tomato sauce is ready, add the tomato sauce to the chickpea pan, and stir together. 

This could also be served on a bed of cous cous to make it a little bit more substantial, if desired.

As well as being really easy and tasty, I really love that this dish incorporates one of my favourite ingredients - smoked paprika. This is my favourite spice ever, as it just adds so much character and flavour to anything you add it to. I'm always looking for new ways to use it.

I hope you enjoy my recipe, and please let me know if you have any other ideas for how I can use smoked paprika in my cooking; I'd love to be inspired!

The Perfect Snack or Side: Delicious, Nutritious, and Soooo Easy Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet potato chips as a side, with a lovely risotto

Ok, I have now had too many compliments and requests for the 'recipe' for this one not to blog about it - the incredibly simple, yet impressive AND delicious sweet potato chips! I have heard a lot of people talking about sweet potatoes being better for you than 'normal' potatoes, but a little research (read: Googling*), I found this to be not completely true - both potatoes and sweet potatoes have great nutritional value, but sweet potatoes have a lower GI index, so won't spike your blood sugar levels as much as ordinary potatoes. They are also a good source of vitamins A and C, and fibre. (I should point out that I am no doctor or nutritionist, but I have tried to get my information from as reputable sources as the internet will allow.) So they may not be better than regular potatoes, but there is no getting away from the fact that sweet potatoes are really pretty good for you.

* Unrelated thought: should the 'g' of Google still be capitalised when you're using it as a verb rather than a proper noun? Being a language geek is my other interest, outside of the kitchen!

If I had to list some reasons I love these sweet potato chips, these would be my reasons:

1. They are healthy (see above - plus, only a little oil or low-cal oil spray is needed, so even better!)
2. They are so, so easy. Really, I can't think of much that tastes this good and takes so little effort.
3. They make a great side dish, or a snack in their own right. If one more person than expected turns up for dinner, you can quickly make some sweet potato chips as a side dish, and bingo! - your meal for four just became a meal for five. But they are also great as finger food when the girls are over for a glass of wine.
4. If you aren't so bothered about being healthy, they are great paired with a nice dip - even just mayonnaise. Or you could mix a crushed garlic clove into the mayo to turn it into garlic mayonnaise - yum!
5. They are quick. Half an hour in the oven, during which you can be cooking your main meal or chilling with your guests/family.
6. They are impressive - despite being about the simplest thing I can rustle up (oops, my secret's out now), these always go down really well with friends and family, and the number of compliments and request for the recipe just prove this.

So, to share my secret with you, here is what to do!

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
a little olive oil or low-cal oil spray
1 1/2 tsps smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Wash the sweet potatoes. There's no need to peel them, but you can if you like. I prefer them with the skins on, as they go crunchier, I think. Next, chop the sweet potatoes into chips or wedges, however you prefer them. I normally make mine a bit thinner than a potato wedge. Place into a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil (or spray a couple of times with the spray). Toss the chips around the tin a bit to coat them in oil, and if you feel it needs it (especially if using spray), add a tiny little bit extra oil/spray. You don't want to be able to see puddles of oil lying in the roasting tin, but you are aiming to get as much of the surface area of the chips covered with a thin layer of oil. Ensure the chips are lying in one layer and not on top of one another (see the picture below).

Ensure the chips are laid out in one layer

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, checking on them halfway through and tossing them to ensure they cook evenly on both sides. You can leave them in for longer if you want them crispier, but they will be nicely cooked and a little crispy after 30 minutes. While they are cooking, mix the smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl or ramekin. Once you have removed the chips from the oven, slowly pour the paprika and salt mixture over the chips as evenly as possible, then toss the chips to try and ensure each chip is coated in the paprika and salt mixture. Your sweet potato chips are now ready!

You can, of course, experiment with the spices or other toppings you use. Let me know if you have any other good ideas for amazing sweet potato chips!