I used to feel like there’s nothing better and quicker to create tiny explosions of taste in a relatively simple dish that cinnamon or cumin. Or both. Then, it was Gino D’Acampo that introduced me to the crackling, satisfying feeling of toasted almonds in a dish, and he did it with his Moroccan – style pasta.
This recipe is very heavily based on Gino’s recipe in his book Fantastico!: Modern Italian Food
We also almost omitted the oil (you will notice we only use about a teaspoon and a half at the beginning) because we are on a diet.
Stop laughing!
Stop!
OK, now that you’re all better, let’s move on.
We also #fooked*, because it had been a while and we had missed it! Those of you who are new to fooking, I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
About 4-5 tomatoes, diced
Cinnamon and cumin
About 1 cup cooked chickpeas (we cooked ours)
About 100gr flaked almonds
About 250gr tagliatelle
Parsley
Preparation
Start by cooking the chickpeas, if they are not already cooked. You know, no salt while they are cooking, then add some at the end and don’t forget the lemon.
Add the onions with some oil in a deep pan and cook them for about five minutes, until soft and slightly brown. Add the diced tomatoes and the spices. Let it cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down, their juices are making a nice, thick sauce and the aroma is filling your house.
Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle and, in a small pan, toast the flaked almonds. That’s really easy to do, just put the almonds in a small saucepan over medium heat. Also remember to toss them every once in a while, because they will burn quickly if you don’t.
When your sauce is nice and ready, add the chickpeas and cook for a further five minutes. Or longer if you want. What you are looking for is for all the smells to integrate with the chickpeas. When it’s done, add the tagliatelle and the parsley (keep a little bit to add when you serve) and cook for another a minute.
When it’s done, serve it, add the almonds and some more parsley and serve immediately.
Enjoy it with some cold beer (Mr. S added some feta cheese too, but what else is new!)
As always, let us know what you think!
Grazie Gino!
* Cooking with the Foo Fighters
All That Cooking 