Chickpea pasta

This simple, almost delicate dish is our family's variation of a recipe given to Marietjie by her cousin Heidi, who was given it by a colleague with an Italian husband.

Ingredients

  • Approximately 100 ml cooked chickpeas per person
  • Olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove per person, finely chopped
  • Optional: chilly flakes, or a whole chilly
  • At least 1 teaspoon fresh parsley per person, chopped
  • 1 halve of a lemon
  • Spiral pasta
  • Black pepper to season
  • Optional: parmesan cheese

Method

  1. You need to have all your ingredients and measures on standby, because once you get started, you'll have to work quickly.
  2. Heat a smallish (20cm) pan on high. Boil your pasta water and add dry pasta.
  3. Test your pan to see that it's hot enough: when you flick a drop of water into it, it should sizzle away. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and then the garlic.
  4. Optional: Add chilly flakes if you want it to be hot, or infuse with a whole chilly which you can remove before serving if you want a little zing.
  5. When the garlic starts to brown, add your chickpeas. Stir them frequently to prevent burning, and add olive oil if it runs out.
  6. By the time the chickpeas start to turn golden brown, your pasta should be close to ready.
  7. Squeeze the juice of your lemon-halve into the pan and add the freshly chopped parsley.
  8. Season with a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, and turn down the heat while you drain the pasta.

Notes

Serve immediately. You can add a little parmesan cheese, but at least try this dish without the parmesan.