I love pasta sauces that come together while the pasta is cooking. This one is lovely and wholesome, great for when the weather starts to warm up a little, and one of those that you can make pretty much year-round. The polenta chips, meanwhile, came about when I wanted to bulk up a plate of beans without the mess (and the pan of hot oil) that comes with making chips. The polenta can be made and set ahead, either during the day or the night before, or it will sit happily in the fridge for a couple of days.
Orecchiette with chickpeas (pictured above)
Sub in other green veg, such as shredded cavolo nero or even sliced courgettes. You can also try adding 100g kalamata olives, pitted and torn into quarters, at the end of the cooking, to add another dimension.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
Salt
350g orecchiette
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
700g jar chickpeas, or 2 × 400g tins, or 250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, cooked and drained, reserving a little of the cooking liquor
200g baby spinach, or spinach with the tough stalks removed
To serve
Chilli flakes
Grated hard cheese, such as Spenwood (optional)
1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)
Mix the red onion and vinegar with a pinch of salt, then set aside. Get the pasta on to cook in a saucepan of well-salted boiling water.
Meanwhile, set a large, high-sided frying pan on a medium heat, add the oil and onion, and cook, stirring often, for seven to 10 minutes, until it turns translucent. Add the garlic to the pan, cook for a minute, until fragrant but not taking on too much colour, then add the chickpeas and their jar or tin juices (if you have cooked your own, add a little of their stock instead) and warm through gently.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain, reserving some of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the chickpea pan. Stir in the spinach to wilt, then loosen the sauce with a splash of the pasta cooking water, if needed – a little brothiness is welcome here.
Serve in warmed bowls, topped with the chilli flakes, lightly pickled red onion and grated cheese, with lemon wedges alongside, if you like.
Polenta chips with saucy chickpeas
Cut the chips however you please: little cubes are fun or thinner strips that get a bit more crunchy. Or, if you’re in a rush, just make the polenta a little wetter and serve it soft, with the chickpeas over the top.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
Olive oil, for greasing and frying
800ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp dried oregano
200g quick-cook polenta
2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 peppers (any colour), cored, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tbsp hot paprika
400g tin plum tomatoes
1 x 700g jar chickpeas, or 2 400g tins
Grated hard cheese, such as Spenwood, to serve (optional)
For the green sauce
25g parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 tbsp drained capers, chopped
6–8 cornichons, finely chopped
2–3 tbsp red-wine vinegar, or another vinegar, plus extra to taste
Line a small baking tray with nonstick baking paper and rub lightly with oil.
In a saucepan on a medium heat, bring the stock and oregano to a bubble. Rain in the polenta while stirring with a whisk, then cook on a medium–low heat for three to five minutes, whisking all the while. Pour the cooked polenta into the prepared baking tray and put in the fridge to chill and set for 15-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Put a baking tray inside to heat up. Put two to three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Follow with the onions and a good pinch of salt, and cook for six to eight minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, peppers and paprika, cook for two to three minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes with their juice, crushing up the tomatoes a little with your wooden spoon. Rinse out the tomato tin with about half its volume of water and add to the pan, followed by the chickpeas and their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Cut the polenta into chips and dress them lightly with oil. Carefully remove the hot baking tray from the oven and space the polenta chips out evenly on top. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until crisp.
Meanwhile, mix all the green sauce ingredients together. Taste and add salt and more vinegar, if needed.
Serve the chickpeas with the polenta chips on top, scattered with grated cheese, if you like, and the green sauce on the side.
These recipes are edited extracts from Weeknight Vegetarian: Easy Vegetable Recipes for Lunch & Dinner, by Joe Woodhouse, published by Kyle Books at £26. To order a copy for £23.40, go to guardianbookshop.com
