Hello all,
All my life, my dad made chickpeas in one form or another – either on their own, boiled in seasoned water or with pasta. I wouldn’t even touch it; it just didn’t appeal to me but now I realize what I’ve been missing all these years! He gave me a small bowl for lunch and inexplicably to me, I was hooked! It was deliciously light and a little creamy with a subtle garlic flavour. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and made it that very same week. I happily ate a little bit every day either for lunch, as an afternoon or evening snack, basically all the time lol.
My mother is usually the star in their kitchen but today I pay homage to my dad’s simple style of cooking.
This dish is very simple and great for summer – prepared in no time without heavy sauces or cheeses. Ours is basically pasta aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil), served with some chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Usually, when it comes to pasta dishes, I pick pecorino Romano over parmesan but it is too strong for this dish.
All my Paleo-following friends are either reading this recipe in horror, longing or both. Sorry guys, sometimes you just have to succumb to the evil seduction that is carbs. 😉
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 19fl oz/540ml can of Chickpeas
250g of Tubetti pasta or other pasta of similar size
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
Salt
Directions
Heat olive oil on medium and add garlic cloves until softened and edges become golden. Carful not to over-brown the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside
Boil Tubetti in salted water according to instructions.
In another small pot, boil Chickpeas for about 10 minutes in enough water to cover them, add a little salt and garlic powder to water.
Drain tubetti, reserving a little pasta water.
Drain chickpeas and mash half with a fork.
Combine pasta, garlic oil and chickpeas and a little bit of the pasta water. All should be creamy and slightly glistening.
Add chopped basil and parmesan.
Serve and enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
Stephanie M.
2 responses to “Dad’s Chickpeas and Pasta”
My brother’s recipe (your Dad) is a classic! But… Try my version with chopped fresh ROSEMARY instead of BASIL ! Don’t use dried rosemary because the texture and taste will be “woody”. The combination of rosemary and garlic with a sprinkling of hot chilli flakes and fresh lemon zest truly confirms this old country recipe’s authenticity . Served hot …or room temperature/ cold (as a pasta salad ) !
Hello there! That sounds amazing actually. I could see how the rosemary and lemon zest would be great in this dish!! Also the idea to eat it at room temperature as a pasta salad sounds great too. I will try it this week and let you know 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
Stephanie xox