A soul-warming, flavoursome dish that will become a family favourite.
This is simplicity at its best combining chickpea and pappardelle with an unctuous soup base.
- SERVES: 4 people
- PREP TIME: 5 mins
- COOK TIME: 20 mins
- DIFFICULTY: easy
- IDEAL FOR: vegetarian, midweek meal
Pasta and chickpeas ‘alla Romana’
A well-known version comes from Rome.
Ditalini pasta is used in the Roman version.
And tagliolini pasta is used in the Tuscan version.
However, we’re using pappardelle pasta which I personally love.
But the basics are the same; fry a clove of garlic, add a sprig of rosemary, (add an anchovy – optional), some cooking water and veggie stock.
The version in this post isn’t vegetarian as I used beef stock.
But if you’re not veggie, then I recommend a good quality beef stock, the depth of flavour is lush.
Liquid or creamy soup
It’s up to you whether you want a creamier soup or not.
I did make my one a little creamier.
All you need to do is take some chickpeas and blend them, then add them back to the soup near the end of the cooking.
Chickpea and pappardelle recipe
Ingredients
- 400g of tinned chickpeas
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 anchovies, chopped
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée, or diced tomatoes
- 1 sprig of rosemary, needles picked and roughly chopped
- 1.4l stock, (beef or vegetable)
- 200g of pappardelle pasta, or your favourite pasta
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside
- Slice the garlic clove and sauté in the olive oil on a medium–low heat for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the anchovies and stir well until melted.
- Add the tomato paste, chickpeas and rosemary. Stir then pour in the stock.
- Season with salt to taste, mix well, cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in the chickpea soup, stirring often. You may need to add some warm water or extra stock depending on how long your pasta takes to cook.
- Serve warm with freshly ground pepper and grated parmesan.
Recipe inspired by La Cucina Italiana