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Shallow white bowl of golden chickpea stew with olive oil and a lemon wedge on a wooden table in soft window light

Sifnos Revithada: Slow-Baked Chickpea Stew with Lemon

Revithada is a Greek chickpea stew baked slowly with onions, bay and olive oil. This home-oven version uses an overnight soak and serves 6.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 10 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 294
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g dried chickpeas (about 2 1/4 cups); soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
  • 1.5 l cold water, for soaking (6 cups)
  • 2 yellow onions large (about 350 g); thinly sliced
  • 120 ml extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup); plus more for serving
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 l water, for cooking (4 cups); enough to cover the chickpeas by about 2.5 cm / 1 inch
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste, added at the end
  • 1 lemon juiced, about 3 tbsp

Method
 

  1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with 1.5 L of cold water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight at room temperature, then drain and rinse. They should roughly double in size.
  2. Heat the oven to 160 C / 320 F and set a rack in the lower third. Slice the onions thinly.
  3. Add the chickpeas, onions, bay leaves, oregano, pepper, olive oil and 1 L of water to a 26 cm / 10-inch oven-safe Dutch oven. Set it over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, about 10 minutes. Skim off the foam with a spoon.
  4. Cover with the lid and bake for 2 hours 15 minutes, stirring once after the first hour. The chickpeas are ready when they mash easily against the side of the pot and the broth looks thick, like a loose soup. If they still have bite, bake in 20-minute steps and add 120 ml of hot water if the pot looks dry.
  5. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and 1 tsp salt, then taste and add a little more if needed. Mash a few chickpeas against the side of the pot to thicken the broth, and serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

  • Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight before you start.
  • Keep the pot covered for the whole bake so the broth doesn't dry out.
  • Add salt and lemon only after baking, then taste and adjust.
  • If the chickpeas still have bite, bake in 20-minute steps until soft.