This Greek chickpea stew cooks slowly in the oven with onion, olive oil and rosemary. The chickpeas turn buttery-soft and soak up the fragrant oil; lemon and bread finish the dish.
Revithada is a chickpea dish associated with the Greek island of Sifnos. Its ingredients are strikingly simple: dried chickpeas, onion, olive oil and herbs, slowly cooked until the legumes are soft and the cooking liquid is rich and almost reduced. Some versions are cooked in an earthenware pot called a mastelo. At home, a heavy ovenproof pan with a tight-fitting lid works well; more important than the specific material is keeping the heat low and even.
Put the chickpeas in a large bowl, cover generously with cold water and leave to soak for 12 hours. Drain and rinse them.
Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Put the chickpeas, onion, rosemary, olive oil, salt and 700 ml water in a heavy ovenproof pan. Stir briefly; make sure the chickpeas are mostly submerged.
Bring the pan to a gentle boil on the stovetop. Put the lid on and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 4 to 4½ hours, until the chickpeas are completely tender. Check after about 2 hours: add a splash of hot water if the chickpeas are no longer covered.
Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes. Let the liquid reduce until just a little fragrant oil and sauce remains around the chickpeas. Remove the rosemary sprigs and taste; add a little salt if needed.
Spoon the chickpeas, onion and reduced cooking liquid into bowls. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over and sturdy bread to soak up the oil.
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