Nivik | Armenian-Style Spinach and Chickpea Stew

Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas. Bring them to a boil in 2 liters of fresh water, skimming off the foam from the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, leave the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 60 minutes, until a chickpea mashes easily between two fingers. Reserve 300 ml of the cooking liquid and drain the rest.

Trim the spinach roots and wash the leaves in three changes of water, until no grit remains at the bottom of the final bowl. Drain and coarsely chop.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pot. Sauté the finely chopped onion over medium heat for 8 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown at the edges. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens slightly and its raw smell is gone.

Add the chickpeas, reserved 300 ml cooking liquid, and salt to the pot. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half and slightly thickened with tomato paste.

Add the spinach in three batches, waiting for each batch to wilt before adding the next. Once the final batch has wilted, cook for 3 minutes and turn off the heat. The spinach should stay dark green and glossy; if it turns olive green, it is overcooked. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Serve the dish warm. Slice the lemon and place it alongside the plates so each person can squeeze it over the dish just before eating.