Dominican Style Chickpeas!

So my parents went away for the weekend to an old friend's wedding in Indiana. It was actually one of my parent's college friends. So they left Friday afternoon and came back today around 3pm. So since I haven't posted anything here in the longest, and abuela wanted me to help her cook, I figured I'd post what we made today. Abuela said she didn't want to go all out cooking, that she was going to order a chicken from a Colombian chicken restaurant in the area. So I suggested to make chickpeas with white rice to accompany the chicken. We also decided to make some plantano maduros (sweet plantains). Dominican style chickpeas are absolutely delicious and made pretty much the way we make beans. We tend to add tiny pieces of ham steak and it gives it a very rich flavor. So after I finished writing up my article for one of the online magazines I write for, we decided to get started in the kitchen. Abuela was surprised to see me cooking without my new apron. She had bought us aprons a couple of weeks ago from Target. For some reason it always slips my mine that she bought those, but I was really excited to put mine on. Something about the apron just made me feel professional. We both put on our aprons and got back to work. Shortly after, mom and dad came home and we all had dinner together as a family. They absolutely loved the chickpeas! Check out abuela's chickpeas recipe below.

Ingredients:
1. 2 cans of Goya chick peas
2. 1/2 a red onion
3. 1/2 a red pepper
4. 1/2 a green pepper
5. 3-4 garlic cloves minced
6. Oregno-dry and crushed
7. Cilantro
8. Ham steak
9. Olive oil
10. Tomato paste
11. Salt to taste

Directions

1. Take 2 cans of Goya chickpeas and pour it into a pot. Then fill up one of the cans with water and pour it in the pot.
2. Then add 1/2 a red onion, 1/2 a red pepper and 1/2 a green pepper
3. Take 3-4 garlic cloves and chop into small fine pieces, then add to mortar and pestle and add a little bit of oregano. Then mash and throw into the pot.
4. Add a few pieces of cilantro, let it sit and take in the flavor.
5. On the side take half a piece of ham steak and chop into small square pieces. Take a frying pan and add some oil and start to cook the ham steak.
6. Once the ham steak starts to cook add a tablespoon of tomato paste and mix it well.
7. Once the ham steak is well marinated in the tomato paste, transfer it to the chickpeas.
8. Add salt to taste
9. And remove cooked cilantro, peppers and onion with a fork.
9. For best results serve over white rice.