Plenty of garlic, beans and spices make this soup a flavorful weeknight meal.
In a big sauce pot, combine the chickpeas with 2 1/2 quarts (10.5 cups) of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours, the chickpeas should be tender and the water reduced to just barely covering them. Depending on the chickpeas, they could need additional time or additional water.
Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat and set aside.
In a small sauté pan over medium low heat, brown the garlic with 1/4 cup olive oil - about 3 min. Remove garlic and olive oil from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Add the bread slices and brown both sides, about one minute each side. Remove the bread and place in the bowl with garlic.
Mash together the garlic and the bread to make a thick paste. Set aside.
Remove the sauté pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the pimenton, cumin and saffron to the pan and then quickly following add the sherry vinegar to prevent the pimenton from burning. Stir to combine. Remove from heat after about 30 sec.
*Using dry beans requires some planning and extra cooking time but yields delicious results. I don't recommend canned here, but if you do, you'll need to add water to make a broth.
*recipe adapted from Chef Jose Andres