Revithada of Sifnos

La storia di questo piatto

On Sifnos, revithada is the Sunday dish of an island that learned to cook with patience, chickpeas and the slow warmth of the village oven. Nothing else is needed but onion, olive oil and time, and the pot of terracotta carries the memory of every hearth before it.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Dried chickpeas
• 2 medium White onion
• 150 ml Extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
• 1000 ml Water
• 1 heaped tablespoon Sea salt
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 2 leaves Bay leaves
• 30 ml Extra virgin olive oil (raw, to finish)
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano (optional, to finish)
• 250 ml Hot water for any additions during cooking (only if needed)
• 40 ml Lemon juice (to finish)

Preparazione

1. Place the dried chickpeas in a colander and rinse them under cold running water until it runs clear. Then transfer them to a large bowl, cover generously with fresh water and let them soak for 12 hours: change the water halfway through, after about 6 hours, so the chickpeas stay sweet and don't absorb strange flavours. At the end of soaking the chickpeas should have doubled in volume and feel smooth to the touch, no longer wrinkled.
2. Drain the soaked chickpeas well and transfer them to the terracotta pot, the one that holds heat gently and imparts a flavour no other pot can give. Add the 2 white onions cut into large pieces or thick slices and the 2 bay leaves: the onion is the only aromatic element in revithada of Sifnos and, cut large, it will perfume the broth without disintegrating during the long cooking.
3. Pour over the chickpeas the 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil and 1000 ml of water (they should cover the chickpeas by 2-3 fingers), keeping about 250 ml of hot water aside in a small saucepan to be used only if necessary. Stir gently with a wooden spoon, without breaking the chickpeas. Add the black pepper (half a teaspoon) but not the salt: the salt is added only halfway through cooking, so the skins don't toughen. Cover with the terracotta lid or, if you don't have one, with a double layer of tightly sealed foil: this is what traps the steam and works the magic of slow cooking.
4. Place the terracotta pot in a cold oven, without preheating, to avoid the thermal shock that could crack it, then switch on to 160°C. Let it cook gently, covered, for about 3 hours without opening the oven too often. Halfway through cooking, after about 1 hour and 30 minutes, lift the lid and add 1 heaped tablespoon of sea salt, stirring gently. At the end of the time the chickpeas should almost melt in the mouth yet remain whole.
5. Open the oven and taste a chickpea to gauge where you are: if it still feels hard under the tooth, pour in a ladle of hot water and return it to the oven covered for a little longer. Then remove the lid and let it cook uncovered for the final 30 minutes, so the excess water evaporates and the broth thickens until it coats the spoon, becoming dense and creamy.
6. Bring the terracotta pot to the table still lukewarm, just as it came out of the oven, which is the most beautiful and most fitting way to enjoy this dish. Before serving, pour over the chickpeas 30 ml of fresh extra virgin olive oil raw, squeeze in the lemon juice (about 40 ml, one medium lemon) and, if you like, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Always taste a spoonful first, to make sure the salt is just right.