Chickpea Stew - Cocido

Another winter warmer. I've eaten many cocidos in my life, but haven't tired of them yet, and it is a naturally gluten free dish, brilliant. I like to cook them in a pressure cooker as otherwise it takes forever, but I guess a slow cooker could be used too (not tested!)

Ingredients: 100 grams of chickpeas per person, 30 grams of chorizo per person, a piece of serrano ham (or serrano ham bone, or bacon), bay leave, salt, cabbage or spinach.

Instructions: soak the chickpeas in salty water overnight. They will double in size, so make sure the water is well above the chickpea level. When you are ready to cook them, drain the chickpeas and put them in the cooker, with enough fresh water to cover them and approx 1 inch more. Add the chorizo, a piece of serrano ham or a bone if you have it, this gives the dish a smoky, salty taste that is really nice and the bay leave. There is no need to add salt as the ham is salty. Better to adjust at the end if needed. Close the pressure cooker and cook on the meat setting for approx 30 minutes. If you are doing it in a normal pot, it will probably take approx 3 or 4 hours at low heat, it might be a good idea to check it now and then until the chickpeas are tender.

Once the chickpeas are cooked, you can add the greens to it. If using cabbage, shred it, boil it in a separate pot with a bit of salt and water and drain in a colander. Add a tsp of olive oil and some garlic chunks to the pot and when the garlic is slightly brown, add the cabbage and stir quickly. This can now be added to the chickpea pot or served on top.
If you are not too keen on cabbage or don't fancy spending much time on it, you can also add some washed baby spinach to the cooked chickpeas and boil for a few minutes, it's also very nice. Spoon ready!