| Orecchiette with tomatoes, chickpeas and chard |
This dish has a higher sauce to pasta ratio than most of my recipes; with a bit more tomato it could almost become a soup. It can be made with other greens if chard is not available - I have made it with a combination of 200 g each of English spinach and cavalo nero, which worked very well. Just adjust the cooking times of the greens to suit.
| 1 | onion, finely chopped |
| olive oil |
| 3 (or more) cloves | garlic, peeled and chopped |
| 1 teaspoon | chilli flakes, or to taste (if in doubt, add less at the start) |
| 1 tablespoon | tomato paste |
| 400 g tin | chopped tomatoes |
| 250 g | cooked chickpeas (or a 400 g tin, well drained and rinsed) |
| 1 teaspoon | sugar |
| 2 bunches | chard |
| 250 g | orecchiette |
| fresh lemon juice, to taste |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Heat the olive oil in a medium-large pan, and saute the onion for about 10 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chilli and tomato paste, and cook for another two minutes. The add the tinned tomatoes, chickpeas and sugar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Partially cover the pan with the lid, and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
Cut the ribs from the chard and discard, then chop the leaves, not too finely. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then add the chard and cook for 5 minutes until it is wilted and softening. Strain the chard out of the water with tongs or a pasta scoop, and add to the tomato mixture. Stir through and continue to simmer.
Add the orecchiette to the water in which the chard was cooked, and boil until al dente. When it is cooked, drain in a colander, and add to the tomato and chard mixture. Add a squeeze of lemon to taste, and mix well together.
Serves 3-4.
2 September 2003
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