Brazilian Chickpea Stew

First: Let the chickpeas soak overnight or for at least 8 hours in the fridge. I put mine in a Tupperware container so I don’t have to worry about my flatmates knocking it over.

When you’re ready to cook, rinse the chickpeas and discard the water they soaked in. Then in a pot of fresh water bring them to a boil and let them boil for at least ten minutes, all the while skimming the scum off the top of the water. Why? I don’t quite know but my grandmother did it so I do it too. Then reduce to a simmer, add the salt, and cover it. Let them simmer for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally and adding more boiling water as needed.

About two hours in they should be tender. At this point you’ll want to grab another pot and heat it, adding the strips of bacon to let them render down some. Once they’ve done their magic, yank them out and in the same pot, let the sausage cook until nice and brown. Meanwhile chop up the bacon.

Once the sausage has cooked, yank it out of the pot and replace it with the onion, the garlic, and the bacon and let the onions sweat; at this point you may or may not have to use olive oil. This is based on how much grease is left over from the meats. While this is cooking together, cut the sausage into whichever size pieces you like. I personally am fond of quarters because they go further, but it’s up to you! Once you’ve done that, add the sausage back into the pot, and let everything cook a bit before you add the chickpeas and about two cups of the cooking water. You don’t want the stew to be too watery, but with too little you risk burning so you may have to add a bit more to thin it out a bit if you need to. Cover this and reduce to a simmer, and add the bay leaf. Let it simmer for about ten to twenty minutes, to let the flavors marry, then serve it hot over rice!