I have just suggested 'Pasta' for his recipe, because it will really go with just about any short pasta. Indeed, if you make more sauce, it would also successfully coat a longer type of pasta. While
I've suggested specific
vegetables, this is essentially a meal that can be made using
ingredients you’d have in your lockers, with whatever vegetables
you have to hand. There is, however, one proviso to this: I suggest
sprinkling black sesame seeds over the meal when it’s served: white
sesame seeds can be used as a substitute, but the black ones look and
taste great!
Serves
2
Ingredients
1/2 cup of chickpeas, soaked and cooked
olive oil
1
onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 4 button mushrooms,
sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chilli flakes, or
to taste
about 6 florets from a head of broccoli
4 handfuls of pasta,
such as fusilli
2 tbsp tahini
reserved water from the pasta
salt and
pepper
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Method:
- Cook the chickpeas in the usual way and set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large saucepan over a moderately high heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onions are softening, stirring frequently to ensure nothing burns.
- Add the mushroom and red pepper and sprinkle with salt, stir into the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until there is some colour on both the onions and red peppers, then lower the heat. Add in the chilli flakes, stir well and cover. Leave over a low heat while you cook the pasta.
- Bring salted water to boil in a saucepan and throw in the pasta. Stir well to ensure that it doesn’t stick together. Bring back to the boil, cover and lower the heat so that it doesn’t boil over. Set the timer for 5 minutes
- When the timer rings, add the broccoli florets and cook until both pasta and broccoli are just not soft. If you like crunchy broccoli, wait a bit longer before adding it.
- While this is cooking, put the tahini into a small, together with generous amounts of salt and pepper. When the pasta and broccoli are done, remove them from the water, using a slotted spoon, or drain the water into a jug, and add them to the vegetables.
- Add a tablespoonful or so of pasta water to the tahini and mix to a smooth consistency. Tahini varies tremendously in how thick it is, but you want to end up with a sauce that pours easily and will coat the pasta and vegetables. Mix with a butter knife or mini whisk until it becomes a creamy colour, then add to the pan.
- Stir gently until everything is mixed and serve.
Garnish
with a generous amount of black
sesame seeds.
Note:
- If you have no black sesame seeds, substitute with white.
- I'm not sure the pasta water has the same effect when used with gluten-free pasta, but it can't do any harm!
Variations:
- Use white beans instead of chickpeas.
- Replace the broccoli with cauliflower florets.
- For a voyaging variation, use chopped cabbage.
- Add green beans or asparagus with or instead of some of the other vegetables.
- Replace the red pepper with carrot.
- Add a couple of tbsp of freeze-dried peas with or instead of some of the vegetables.
- Use bulgur wheatinstead of pasta. In this case you will have to cook the broccoli separately.
- Add chopped fresh herbs, if you have some.