Chickpeas, Rosemary and Pasta

Oh, it is such a long time since I have made this dish - too long.  This is a great store cupboard essential during the winter and into the spring to go with any dried pasta that you have going.  It is quick, easy and so, so comforting.

Chickpeas, rosemary, tomato puree and pasta

This is a dish that I found many years ago... so long ago that I cannot remember where I got the recipe from... the nearest recipe I can find is this by Pasta Grannies (the book and videos are fantastic by the way - find from https://www.pastagrannies.com/)

I always end up cooking far too much but it is so good. See below for the recipe.

chickpeas, tomato paste, rosemary and garlic cooking

Adding the pasta

Pasta with chickpeas

Ingredients

2 cups/ 150g cooked chickpeas
2/3 sprigs rosemary
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 clove garlic (finely chopped and crushed)
Olive oil
Short pasta like penne or fusilli (about 75 g per person)

Instructions

1. In a large frying pan gentle fry the crushed garlic, and add the cooked chickpeas and rosemary. Cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste and a little water if the dish if a little dry.  What you are trying to do is allow the rosemary to impart it's aromatics to the surrounding sauce. So normally cook for around 10 to 15 minutes.
3. In a large pan fill up with water and add salt (not table salt).   It should be a handful of kosher or course salt like Claire Saffitz from Bon Appetit suggests - see this great article on how much salt to use).
4. Bring to the boil and add your pasta keeping the lid off the pan.  The pasta should cook in a rolling boil.
5. Dependent on the past used cook for 8 to 12 minutes.
6. Check your sauce and add a ladle full of the pasta water if needed.
7. Now if you have a blender take the rosemary out and blitz the mixture keeping some whole chickpeas aside from blending.  You may need to add some pasta water to keep the sauce loose.  Remember that the consistency should be thicker than a soup.
8. Return to the pan and warm through for a few minutes.
9. Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan.  Coat the pasta in the sauce and season with a little pepper. It is now ready to serve.