Revithia (Chick Peas with sauce) [Vegetarian]
You need 1/4 - 1/2 kilo of Revithia or Chick peas which is the English name, depending on number of people. 1/2 kilo will produce about 5-6 servings but you can make extra and store in airtight containers in the freezer if you make too much.
You will also need one large onion, some olive oil, tomato or tomato paste. Optional is a bunch of fresh spinach or one courgette or some celery.
If you can find the split Revithia (chick peas) it is best. If they are whole you need to soak them overnight, by the next day the skin should have shrivelled (On the rare occasion that they do not have a skin then you can omit this step). You then need to split the soaked chick peas. Drain and pick out the skin. Dab off any excess water and spread onto a towel, cover with a 2nd towel and then crush till most are split. The easiest way to crush them is to use a bottle, just lay it on its side and roll over like a rolling pin, a rolling pin will take you longer unless you have a really fat one.
Once the chick peas have been split, you can then proceed to the next step:
Place chick peas in large saucepan and cover with water, the water line should come about an inch or so above the peas.
Bring to boil and skim off froth, then allow to simmer till cooked, make sure you do not forget to reduce the heat or they will stick to the pan! They are cooked when they soften, you must be careful not to overcook them but also not to under cook them. Just think, you need to have them as you would want to eat them. If they are under cooked they will not taste nice. Make sure the water has reduced before proceeding with next step, during cooking you may need to add extra water so that the peas do not stick to the pan but you must make sure that you are not left with a lot of water once cooked. It should just cover the chick peas.
To prepare the sauce you need about 2 - 5 tablespoons of olive oil depending on taste and quantity of peas you have used. Cypriots never measure, they just learn by trial and error.
Chop one onion, medium or large depends on quantity and preference.
Fry the onion in the olive oil till golden and add chopped tomato or tomato paste to taste. You can use either fresh or tinned tomato, it’s up to you. Again it’s how much you like.
Put this in the saucepan with the chick peas. You can eat them like this or add vegetables, I normally add a bunch of fresh spinach or one courgette, you could even add celery if you like. If you do add vegetables you will need to cook a little more until the vegetables are cooked.,
Add salt and pepper to taste before you take the dish of the heat. Note - you do not put the salt into the chick peas until they are cooked as addition of salt leave them hard, they will not cook.
This dish is traditionally eaten with fresh bread, Greek bread if possible!
Kali Orexi! (Bon apetit)
