I grew up with the taste of pimentón de la vera, the smoky, fiery spice Spain embraced from the New World and made its own. Pimentón gives our food its soul. One of the dishes everyone loves back home is espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas), which is it’s simple, nourishing and full of comfort. At this time of year, however, when the markets are overflowing with sweet pumpkins, I love adding them to the mix, too. Their gentle, autumnal sweetness lifts the spinach and chickpeas beautifully, and they combine to create a dish that we’ve been serving all month at my restaurant Lolo in south-east London.
Pumpkin and spinach with pimentón, or calabaza y espinacas con pimentón
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4-6
1kg pumpkin, deseeded and cut into large cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked sweet pimentón, or paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt and black pepper
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
500g baby spinach
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Tumble the pumpkin into a large roasting tin and toss with two tablespoons of oil, the pimentón and the cumin seeds. Season well, then roast for 40 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden, tender and slightly caramelised.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large pan, then gently fry the garlic until it’s aromatic. Add the spinach and leave to wilt, then cook until practically all of the moisture has evaporated.
Toss the roast pumpkin and the chickpeas into the pan to heat through, then check the seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature as a light lunch or as a side dish alongside some roast meat.
