Fried Tagliatelle With Chickpeas and Smoky Tomatoes
Two pantry staples, chickpeas and pasta, come together to give you this hearty vegan main. (Do check the ingredient list on the packaging for your tagliatelle, as some may contain egg.) Frying the pasta nests before cooking them provides plenty of texture, even as the pasta softens and releases its starches into the chickpeas and their cooking water. Feel free to play around with the smoky tomato oil, adding different chiles or spices, such as cumin or coriander seeds. And be sure to start the night before by soaking your chickpeas. However, if you’re running low on time, you can also use two drained 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, adjusting liquid levels as necessary.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 8ounces/250 grams datterini or cherry tomatoes
- ½cup/120 milliliters olive oil
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 ½teaspoons chipotle chile flakes
- 1 ½teaspoons sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 8dried tagliatelle nests
- 1cup/200 grams dried chickpeas, soaked 8 to 24 hours in plenty of cold water with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ½teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2lemons, 1 halved and the other cut into 4 wedges
- 1tablespoon roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Step 1
Make the smoky tomato oil: Place a medium sauté pan over high heat. Once hot, add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, shaking the pan as needed, until tomatoes are charred on the outside but still retaining their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in everything else and return to medium-low heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally as it bubbles very gently. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.Step 2
Prepare the pasta: While the tomato oil infuses, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large, high-sided sauté pan and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the tagliatelle nests and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely golden. (Don’t worry if you don’t get color on the sides.) Set the toasted tagliatelle nests aside and rinse out the pan.Step 3
Drain the soaked chickpeas and add them to the same pan along with 4 1/4 cups/1 liter water and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). Return the pan to medium-high heat and bring to the boil, skimming the scum as needed. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and test the chickpeas at this point. They should be soft but still retain their shape. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.Step 4
Stir in the garlic, then nestle in the fried tagliatelle nests. Replace the lid and cook, undisturbed, until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Remove the lid and, without stirring, squeeze over the juice from the lemon halves.Step 5
Spoon the smoky tomato oil on top, sprinkle with the parsley and serve directly from the pan. Serve with the extra lemon wedges to squeeze on top to taste.