Rosemary Garbanzo Beans

A quick hearty dinner when you just feel like opening cans.

Chop one onion and add it to a hot, oiled pot with some pepper.

Stir until onion softens.

Open two cans of garbanzo beans, drain, and add to the pot. If you don't drain enough liquid off you'll have to wait for it to evaporate, which isn't in keeping with a quick-prep dinner.

Add a nice big handful of coarsely-chopped roasemary, and a handful of chopped garlic. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until beans are warmed through.

Add either a can of tomatoes or a double-handful of chopped fresh tomatoes to the pot, and stir.

Add any other seasonings you like: I recommend a bit of dry oregano and thyme, and possibly a dash of paprika or chili powder. You can add a boullion cube or some anchovy paste for a bit more salt and depth of flavor. Mix everything together and continue to heat.

Cook over medium-high heat just long enough for all the ingredients to heat up and the tomatoes to break down and mingle. They'll drop a bit more water, so if you forgot to drain the cans earlier you'll really be sad. Make sure you're cooking the mix at a simmer to get it moving quickly, but take care it doesn't stick.

Note that the color changes as the beans and tomatoes both cook down a little bit. Call it done when everything is hot, the tomatoes have softened up, and the liquid has mostly disappeared. You want this to have a stew consistency.

Now that your beans have cooked down properly, taste and adjust the seasonings. Add salt, pepper, garlic, or lemon juice if it seems a bit flat.

Serve with chopped parsley or basil on top for extra style points. This also goes well on top of pasta, in which case you can leave a bit more juice/sauce on the beans.