Recipe 23: Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Chickpea Pasta

Recipe 23:
Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Chickpea Pasta


If you can find fresh chickpeas, this is a great way to use them. They are green, slightly sweet, and have a hearty texture.

Sauce:
Olive oil
1 large shallot (diced)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 cup white wine
Zest from one lemon
4 sprigs of thyme
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Roma tomatoes (peeled, diced)
2 roasted red peppers (pulsed in the food processor)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
Sea salt & crushed black pepper

In a pan over medium heat, sauté the shallot and garlic until shallot is translucent. Mix the wine, zest, thyme, and sugar together; use that mixture to deglaze the pan. Reduce mixture until thick then add tomatoes, red peppers, tomato paste, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until tomatoes melt into the sauce. Add more olive oil near the end for richness. (Use the pasta water to regulate the consistency.)

To Serve:
2 servings fresh pasta
Roasted red pepper sauce
1/2 cup fresh, shelled chickpeas
Parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Blanch the chickpeas for 20-30 seconds or until they start to float. Remove and set aside. Cook pasta then transfer the noodles to the pan containing the red pepper sauce. Toss noodles in the sauce. Divide noodles between two plates and garnish with chickpeas, parsley.


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