Pasta & chickpeas in brothwith preserved lemon & chilli

January 15, 2024

   

Meera Sodha published this recipe around the same time that I noticed we had preserved lemon in the fridge, so I got onto it pretty quickly. Pasta is up front in the dish's name, and there's also more broth than I expected so I've brought that into the title as well. The recipe is probably better suited to autumn, but the weather turned cooler and broth-worthy as we were eating it.

I made a few substitutions for convenience. Having never encountered sun-dried tomato paste, I used regular tomato paste. I used some orecchiette languishing in the pantry instead of buying macaroni. I spooned out a little chipotle in adobo sauce instead of purchasing chiptole flakes. I think it's a recipe that can handle plenty of improvisation.

The result is comforting but light; liquidy while offering plenty to chew on; it's very warming and a little tangy, a little savoury. We'll wait until the season really changes before we go back for more.

Pasta & chickpeas in broth with preserved lemon & chilli

(a recipe by Meera Sodha in The Guardian)

olive oil

4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, including liquid

1 preserved lemon, seeds removed and finely chopped

160g macaroni (or, in my case, orecchiette)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo sauce

20g nutritional yeast flakes

3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

Make some rosemary oil. Pour 80 ml of oil and the rosemary into a small saucepan over low heat until bubbling, then turn off the heat and allow it to infuse while you cook the soup.

In a large saucepan, pour in 5 tablespoons of olive oil and set it over low-medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until softened. Briefly stir in the garlic and tomato paste, then add just one of the tins of chickpeas with their canning water. Mash the chickpeas to form a rough paste.

Stir in the preserved lemon and the second can of chickpeas with its water. Add the pasta, salt, chipotle, and 1.5 litres of tap water. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the pasta is cooked (see what's recommended on the packet but note that it could take a little longer).

Stir in the yeast flakes and pepper and simmer for a few more minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle over the rosemary oil to serve.