I am a sworn kitchen fanatic, but sometimes, I like cooking a dish for which you just throw everything in one pot and bake for hours. This recipe is inspired by the greek traditional dish, “revythada” (“revythia”=chickpeas). In some Greek Islands they bake the chickpeas in a very slow oven, the previous night, for more than 6 hours. This version is something between the Cypriot way of cooking chickpeas, which is with tomato sauce on the stove, and the greek way which is baked in the oven. Tomatoes make the dish sweeter and add a ton of flavour.

You will need

• 500gr (about 2 cups) whole dried chickpeas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves (fresh or dry)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 1 ½ cup boiling water

Method

The night before baking, combine chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover the chickpeas by at least 3 cm. Leave to soak.

The next day, preheat oven to 160 C (320 F). Drain the chickpeas and put in an oven proof pot or deep baking pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover the chickpeas with a piece of parchment paper with a hole in the middle. Cover the pot tightly with lid or with a double layer of foil. No stream must escape. Bake chickpeas in the oven for 4 hours. Serve with greek yogurt and fresh, crusty bread.

Note: From my experience, diffrent brands of chickpeas cook at different times. If after four hours the chickpeas are not yet cooked, add some more water and return dish to the oven.