My problem, it turns out, is that I added turnip greens at the beginning, right along with the split peas, the potatoes, etc. Although we don’t think of them as such, it turns out that turnip greens are quite high in acid. The acid, in turn, makes it difficult for the split peas to absorb water. How difficult? Well. Let me tell you. These split peas—pre-soaked, mind you!—were still hard as rocks after 8 hours in the crockpot, at which point I turned it to low and we went out for pizza at our local brew pub instead. I let it cook overnight. The peas were still mostly hard the next morning, but by now the mixture had started to turn an alarming color. Determined not to waste food, I decided to pressure cook the whole thing. Five minutes at 15 pounds pressure did virtually nothing to the peas. After another 10 minutes, they were starting to soften, but still not done. Finally, after another 10 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure, they were finally soft enough to eat. They were also not very pretty.

The end product was edible, sort of, if you smother a bowl of the stuff with yogurt and chutney. But it is not something I will repeat.

The lesson? Only add acidic things (tomatoes, greens, lemon juice, etc.) to legumes after they’re cooked. This is the logic that explains, among other things, why recipes for baked beans usually either have you start with cooked beans or include a cooking time of several hours. Great mysteries revealed!

Now, to be honest, I’ve often had trouble getting beans soft in the crockpot, which is one of oh-so-many reasons I usually prefer the pressure cooker instead. How does this work, exactly? What tricks do you use?

Chickpea and Spinach Stew (in the pressure cooker)

(All amounts are approximate.)

1 1/2 c. dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (if using canned or previously cooked, you’ll need 2–3 cups)
2 T or so olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4–6 cloves garlic, cut into hunks
2 T paprika (or less of a more flavorful smoked Spanish paprika)
salt
about 1 c. of chopped parsley, divided into two
10 whole peppercorns
1/2 t. dried thyme, or 1 T fresh
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 pt jar canned tomatoes and their juice (if using store-bought, use 15 oz)
6 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1–2 bunches spinach, to taste
1/2 a preserved lemon, or to taste, chopped

1) Using your pressure cooker as a cooking pot, start sauteing the onion in the oil. Meanwhile, grind the garlic, salt, half the parsley, and the paprika into a paste in a mortar and pestle, like this:

If you’ve never done this before, here’s a tip: start by putting the salt on the garlic. It creates additional grit to help break down the garlic.

2) Stir the paste, peppercorns, pepper flakes, and thyme into the onions. Cook one minute. (If you’re adding additional vegetables, like carrots or celery, you should add them now, too.)

3) Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock. Screw on the lid, lock it, and bring the pressure cooker up to pressure. Cook for 12 minutes at pressure. (For a refresher on pressure cooker basics, see this post.) Let the pressure drop of its own accord.

4) Are the chickpeas done? If not, bring it up to pressure again and cook for a couple of minutes more. Otherwise go on to the next step.

5) Add the spinach, torn into pieces as big or as small as you like them. Cook until it’s wilted. If there’s too much liquid and you don’t mind limp spinach, cook more; if it’s on the dry side, add more stock.

6) Freshen it up with the preserved lemon and the parsley and serve.