Chickpeas with Black Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins

This is part 2 of a three-part post I will refer to as A Taste of Spain. 

Part 1: Squid and White Beans with Balsamic Reduction; Part 2: Chickpeas with Black Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins; and Part 3: Rock Shrimp (or baby clams) with Eggs (to follow). 

All three of these dishes remind me of my wonderful time in Spain, and I am happy to share my inspiration with you. The great thing about these dishes is that they require only a few ingredients and are easy to prepare. Dish them out onto small plates and you'll have yourself a nice little assortment of tapas, for a party, perhaps? Oh, maybe include a batch of bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo (pronounced chor-ee-tho in Spain); will have to make some soon. And, some bacalao (cod) fritters...

That being said, I must confess, this dish is not made with just any old pork sausage, but, stay with me, it's traditionally made with blood sausage -- a mixture of pork, pork blood, grains, and spices. Look at it this way, using all of the animal, including its blood, is a sign of respect for the animal that gave its life for our table. Okay, now that I've got that out there, I hope you're still on board. I picked up some blood sausage from a local D.C. charcuterie artisan. If you can't stomach the idea of blood sausage, feel free to substitute with your favorite pork sausage. Of note, the blood sausage adds a distinctive, earthy taste that, in my opinion, makes this dish unique.

Added a touch of hot smoked Spanish paprika for a smoky element and to counterbalance the sweetness of the raisins. Also, topped the finished dish with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to create a nice balance of sweet and salty.

Prepping all the ingredients ahead of time makes assembly a breeze. You can cook the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and confit the onions a few days in advance. Just store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature when you're ready to use.

Chickpeas with Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins

1 pound cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup seedless white raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

~ 4 ounces blood sausage, casing removed, chopped into small pieces (more if you wish)

1 cup onion confit (refer to recipe below)

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, mixed with large pinch hot smoked paprika

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Coarse sea salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of the paprika-infused oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When hot add  the onion confit and stir. Add the blood sausage, and cook breaking up the sausage until crumbled. Add the raisins and pine nuts. Stir to incorporate. Add the cooked chickpeas and parsley. Stir until the chickpeas are well incorporated and hot. Serve with a drizzle of paprika infused olive oil and sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Onion Confit
(adapted from Alice Waters: Chez Panisse Vegetables)

2 large onions, peeled, cut in half, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (olive oil or combination of oil and butter)
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
3 sprigs thyme
1 cup red wine
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sherry vinegar

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Brown the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until onions soften. Stir in the sugar and cook, covered, a few more minutes to allow the sugar to caramelize slightly. Add the thyme sprigs, red wine, and vinegars. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for ~1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the liquid is cooked down to a syrup. You can prepare ahead of time.