Last weekend my dad and step mom Nicole treated us a to a true delicacy of a wintertime meal – homemade toasted chickpea pasta tossed in a sauce of smokey burst cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of honey
I love wintertime weekends spent at dad’s upstate house. The house is always filled with the smokey scent of fire rising from the huge wood burning stove in the kitchen, the heart of the house both because of its key role in the cooking of all of our meals, and also because it’s the perfect place to warm those chilly winter bones. We spend our afternoons sitting around the kitchen and talking, or shopping in little towns in the area, sledding the big hill of our backyard (if there’s snow), or grabbing an afternoon beer. And of course we spend our evenings drinking wine and cooking, and my dad always whips us up the most incredible meals.
This weekend my dad and step-mom Nicole treated us to homemade chickpea pasta with burst cherry tomato and honey sauce. They have admittedly adapted this chickpea pasta recipe from a Food and Style recipe, and while the recipe is pretty much as simple as any homemade pasta, my dad had to put his own spin on it as he does with pretty much any dish he makes. His spin comes in toasting the chickpea flour to a deep golden brown in a cast iron skillet before using it to make the pasta, imparting and smokey and nutty flavor and lending the pasta it’s rich yellow color.
My dad skillfully rolling out the pasta dough
Of course the chickpea flour lends a tasty flavor and lightness to the homemade pasta, but for all of you health nuts out there, it also lends a bunch of health benefits. For one, using chickpea flour instead of regular flour cuts out a big chunk of pasta’s gluten, although not all since the recipe still calls for a bit of traditional flour to hold the pasta together. This is great for anyone with a gluten sensitivity. But there’s also the added bonus of chickpea pasta containing less carbs and calories than white pasta or even whole wheat pasta, all while packing more protein. And while my dad doesn’t tend to watch what he eats too much – he cooks more from the heart and soul than for the watching the calories – the benefits of this homemade chickpea pasta are pretty much impossible to ignore.
Piles of fresh pasta waiting to be cooked and tossed in tasty sauce
But enough about the chickpea pasta, because just as much a star of this dish is the burst cherry tomato sauce with honey. My dad gained inspiration for this sauce from a recipe that called for burst cherry tomatoes paired perfectly with a drizzle of honey. The honey works to both bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes and also even out the smokiness from a slight char. And of course no pasta sauce would be complete without lots of fresh herbs, in this case basil and oregano.
Cherry tomatoes cook up until the skins burst, and are tossed with fresh herbs and honey
But of course, as with pretty much everything that he cooks, my dad improvised this recipe a bit and put his own twist on it. A quick tomato sauce made up of raw tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs that we had used to top pizza was left over from the night before, and this was thrown right into the sauce. This helped by adding a bit of body and sauciness to the recipe, and also rounding out the fresh herb flavor. When the chickpea pasta and the tomatoes were both almost done cooking, the pasta was thrown right into the pan with the sauce, letting it soak up all those sweet and savory flavors. As these two separate components finished cooking together, they began to take on each other’s flavors and become one cohesive dish.
Cooking and then tossing the chickpea pasta with the burst cherry tomatoes
Make sure all the pasta is evenly coated in sauce…
No meal for my dad and Nicole is complete without loads of greens – for this meal it was broccoli rabe with chili and lots of garlic – recipe coming soon
Before the pasta is cooked… and after!
Of course, either of these recipes – the chickpea pasta or the burst cherry tomato sauce – can be made independently of each other. Try the sauce on any boxed pasta or gnocchi, or even as a topping for rice or quinoa. And try the chickpea pasta with any favorite sauce – salty spaghetti cabonara or briny linguine with clams would work perfectly. But together, the chickpea pasta and burst cherry tomato and honey sauce work some magic. Smokey, sweet, light and yet still somehow also stick-to-your-ribs cooking, this pasta dish was a true treat for the end of a chilly weekend.
Homemade chickpea pasta recipe: Food and Style Fresh Pasta with Chickpea Flour, with the addition of toasting the chic pea flour in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
- 2 lb cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 large tomato
- 1 clove garlic
- handful of basil, minced
- handful of oregano, minced
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese for serving
- 1 lb cooked pasta of choice
- Blend together 1 large tomato, garlic, half the herbs, and swirl of olive oil. Season generously with salt a pepper. Set aside.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Coat large pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil and cook tomatoes over medium-high heat until the skin begins to burst and become slightly charred, 10 minutes. Drizzle tomatoes with honey and remaining herbs and toss to coat.
- Add in blended tomato sauce and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, 5 minutes. Add cooked al dente pasta of choice and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.
I was transported to a toasty loving great smelling kitchen. And the recipe had just the right amount of detail. I’m excited to try it. Thanks