Radiatore pasta with tomato and chickpeas

I love the idea of one pot pasta.  That means you cook the pasta in the sauce.  Bung it all in and wait for it to be ready.  So when I saw Michael post about trying Ottolenghi's Oriecchiette cooked in chickpea and tomato sauce, it seemed a great idea.  I really loved the pasta with unusual flavours but it did prove that Ottolenghi, for all his talents in the kitchen, is not an expert at simplicity.

It's ok.  I understand.  I am not great at simplicity either.  But I am telling you just so that you know this is not a one pot pasta that you bung in the pot and leave until dinner is ready.  This is a one pot pasta that you cook in steps and make another mixture in a bowl on the side and then set aside parts of the dish for later.  But that is Ottolenghi's style, just as I will always prefer sweet smoked paprika over hot smoked paprika and the olives in my fridge will not be of the quality that the recipe called for.  We all have our signature moves!

But honestly I did not mean to deviate as much from the recipe as I did.  I went to buy the really cute curly orecchiette I had bought recently only to find it was not there.  And I had some pretty interesting radiatrore pasta at home so I used that.  My dish was not as saucy as Ottolenghi's.  Possibly due to the radiatore needing more sauce or perhaps because I skimped on the olive oil.  And I only noticed the salt when I wrote up the recipe.  So it was no doubt under seasoned.

Ottelenghi notes that this is not at all a traditional way of serving pasta.  It brings a little of his Middle Eastern Heritage to Italy but with his elegant style. 

Speaking of countries, I have recently realised how poor my grasp of where countries are.  Sylvia has had a poster of times tables on the wall that has gone to pieces and been replaced by a map of the world.  I am loving checking the map every time there is a news story.  And recently we watched an amazing film called Fly Away Home about a girl who flew a light aircraft to encourage her wild geese to migrate from Ontario, Canada to Florida, USA.  It was really helpful to look at where they flew on the map. 

The map also reminds me that although Italy and the Middle East seem quite different cultures, in  fact they aren't that far apart geographically when seen in the context of the rest of the world.  And Marco Polo probably went through the Middle East when returning from China after "discovering" pasta.

More vegan pasta on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Hurry up pumpkin alfredo (v)
Lentil ragu with chocolate chilli fettuccine (v)
Macaroni cheese with sauerkraut, cauliflower and blue cheese (v)
One pot pasta with beans and tomato sauce (v)
Summer minestrone (gf, v)

More vegan pasta elsewhere to try:
Creamy tomato spaghetti with hummus - Bite Sized Thoughts
Eggplant meatballs with spaghetti - Connoisseurus Veg
Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with tofu ricotta - Oh She Glows
Macaroni cheese - Where's the beef
Drunken spicy red wine spaghetti - Allotment to Kitchen

Radiatore pasta with tomato and chickpeas
Adapted from Ottolenghi in the Guardian
Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp salt
40g parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon zest
4 tbsp baby capers
80g piemento-stuffed green olives, roughly chopped
250g cherry tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp caraway seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
250g dried radiatore
500ml vegetable stock
black pepper

[If you need to dry fry caraway seeds, do it first.] 

Heat olive oil in a large deep frypan over medium heat and stir in garlic, chickpeas, paprika, cumin, tomato paste and salt.  Fry for about 8 minutes, leaving to get a little crisp around the edges if possible and stirring occasionally.  Set aside about a third of the mixture once done.  Meanwhile mix parsley, lemon zest, capers and olives in a small mixing bowl.  Set aside abou a third.

Stir the remaining two thirds of parsley mixture into chickpea mixture with tomatoes, sugar and caraway seeds and fry for 2 minutes.  Add pasta, stock and 250ml water.  Bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 12-14 minutes (or until pasta is cooked).  Stir in parsley mixture and garnish with remaining chickpea mixture.

On the Stereo:
Among My Swan: Mazzy Star