Garbanzo/Spinach Croquettes

What do you do when it is dinnertime and the only thing you have on hand are garbanzo beans and spinach? These ought to satisfy a hungry bunch. Not only did they fry-up light without the slightest hint of greasiness, they are economical as well (I used frozen spinach and I soaked and cooked my own garbanzos).

I served the croquettes with cous cous made with herbs and dried fruit. Thinking about it, I should have made use of some fresh mint (since I have it) but I don't think the recipe suffered any for the omission.

You Will Need:

4 cups cooked garbanzos, drained and as many skins removed as you can stand to deal with (it gets tedious)
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
5-6 large sage leaves left whole
1 cup frozen spinach, cooked, drained and squeezed dry in a towel
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
Canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas. It is OK if some remain whole here and there. In a small pan, sauté the onion and sage in a small bit of olive oil until soft.

Add together in a bowl, the chickpeas, cooked onion, seasonings, spinach, egg and oil. Mix in the breadcrumbs. At this point, you need to add enough flour to make the consistency thick enough to form into balls. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for. What you don't want is too much flour as the croquettes should not be dry.

Heat a couple inches of canola oil in a deep frying pan until quite hot. Fry a few at a time, pressing down with a spatula to make them flatter. When browned, turn and cook the other side-about a minute each side. remove to rack over a baking sheet and drain well.

Serve immediately.