Recipe #1 Orecchiette with chickpeas, tomato, and spinach

The place I spend the most time over every other - the kitchen. Cooking (and then eating) brings me endless amounts of joy, it always has.

So it’s not by accident I’ve ended up forging and creating my own cooking tools. And I thought why not share some of the dishes I’ve been making alongside the tools I’ve been forging?

I won’t be boring you with a 10-minute read about how this meal has changed my life with a deep dive into the origins of chickpeas, I’m just going to share a dish I made and loved! Hopefully you will try it, perhaps tweak it depending on what veggies you have, and enjoy it with friends and family :)

So for the first recipe in the series, please enjoy this lovely & simple summer pasta with chickpeas, which I’ve adapted from the amazing cookbook Ottolenghi Simple:

Orecchiette with chickpeas, tomato, and spinach

  • 45ml Olive oil, plus extra to serve

  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped

  • 2-4 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 3 sprigs thyme, finely chopped

  • 1 tbsp oregano leaves, finely chopped

  • 5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped (leave out if you prefer vegetarian)

  • 1 lemon, zest and juice

  • 1 x 400g can of cooked chickpeas, drained

  • 1 tsp brown sugar

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • 200g orecchiette pasta

  • 100g cherry tomato, halved

  • 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

  • A few sprigs of parsley, roughly chopped

  • Handful of grated Parmesan

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Pour olive oil into a large pan and place on high heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, thyme, oregano, anchovies (if using), lemon zest, 1/2 tsp of salt and a couple grinds of pepper.

Stirring often, fry for a few minutes until soft and golden. Reduce heat to medium, then add chickpeas and brown sugar. Fry for 8-10 minutes until chickpeas are slightly crispy. Add chicken stock and lemon juice (add half at a time - you might not need a whole cup of stock), and let simmer until the sauce has reduced. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta to packet instructions, then drain (saving 45ml of pasta water for sauce).

Stir spinach, parsley, and tomatoes into chickpeas until spinach begins to wilt, then add pasta and pasta water. Heat gently if needed.

Top with Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Enjoy!

• Dish pictured below with Beach & Forest mini slotted spoon •

Maria Frangiadakis