In celebration of the International Year of Pulses, Simon Bryant (celebrity chef) has kindly provided us with some inspiration on how to use chickpeas!
Prepare half a pack of kabuli chickpeas by soaking in water overnight then cook according to packet instructions. Drain, but reserve about 60 ml of cooking liquid (it’s tasty).
Cook up some quality wholemeal pasta (pappardelle, linguini, whatever; wider pasta is better here).Drain then toss in olive oil.
Grab a small bunch of spinach (or any leafy green you fancy) and separate the leaves from the stems. Fry the stems and chickpeas over gentle heat in a decent dollop of good olive oil with a few cloves of crushed garlic for a couple of minutes. Fold in the leaves and splash in a squeeze of lemon juice, a little lemon zest, and the reserved chickpea cooking liquid. The spinach will wilt in a few seconds so don’t overcook at this stage.
Throw that lot in a bowl with the pasta; add olive oil, cracked pepper, half a sliced red onion, salt flakes and a handful of grated parmesan.
This recipe was kindly provided by Simon Bryant and the image is by Jacqui Way Photography.