This is one of my favorite foods since childhood. I used to eagerly wait for Sunday’s on my island of Sifnos, Greece, for the fired ceramic pots filled with the sizzling chickpeas to make it to our lunch table! I never really enjoyed meat growing up, so this was a taste of heaven to me. And still is.
Traditionally this is not made in a pressure cooker, but it was adapted for an hour -based Masterchef challenge and for anyone that one’s delicious hearty food in under an hour!
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, then you can bake stove top for 6-7 hours, keeping an eye on it at all times. Or for best results, and my preferred way to make it is covered tightly in a clay pot or stew covered pan. The same “no-stir” rules apply to all cooking techniques. As does the salt.
Please read the pressure points for this recipe. They will make or break your dish.
Ingredients:
500 grams of chickpeas soaked in water overnight
6 large white onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups olive oil
¾-1 TBS of salt (added at the end of cooking)
Pepper to taste
Fish:
300 grams of white fish filet of choice
Salt
Juice of 5 lemons
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Charred lemon:
1-2 TBS of olive oil
3 lemons, cut into quarters
Pressure Cooker Method:
Place a pressure cooker on medium heat and add your onions and ½ cup olive oil and cook until slightly translucent. Add the chickpeas,the rmaining olive oil and cover with water 3-4 fingers above the chickpeas, seal the pot and cook for 35 minutes or until the liquid becomes creamy and not watery and the onion melts inside.
If there is too much water, transfer to a regular pot and cook uncovered until it thickens.
PRESSURE POINT: Very important: do not mix your stew at all during the cooking process! Simply dont touch it. If for some reason you need to add water – add boiling water through the sides of the pot, so that it does not interfere with the cooking of the chickpeas and the alchemy that occurs when oil meets water. Add salt towards the end and cook for a few more minutes without the lid.
For the fish: heat the oven to 160 degrees.
Remove the skin from the fish.
Prepare the crispy skin: wipe the skin with a paper towel, salt both sides and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Cover with more baking paper and another mold on it. Bake for 45 minutes at 170C, or until the skin is crispy.
For the marinated fish: cut the fish filet into one centimeter cubes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add a teaspoon or two of salt and the lemon juice and leave for about an hour at room temperature.
Wash the fish lightly and wipe gently.
Heat a pan with olive oil. Sear the fish cubes until golden and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.
Charred lemon: heat olive oil in a pan. Place the lemons cut side down and sear until browned on all sides.
Dishes: put the prepared soup stew in the center of a serving bowl. Arrange the fish cubes and the crispy skin on top (so that it stays crispy). Serve with charred lemon and enjoy.
