Pasta with chickpeas and vegetables in tahini sauce

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.

Voyagers' pasta

In a cool, damp place, or when, as is usually the situation on a boat, you’re watching your water consumption, the conventional way of cooking pasta is far from satisfactory.  The instruction tell you to fill a large saucepan with water, bring it to a full rolling boil, plunge in the pasta and boil it, uncovered for the apppropriate length of time.  In anywhere that isn't actually hot, with all the hatches open, this method steams up the boat and in any situation, it uses far too much water. I have two ways of cooking pasta, which both yield very acceptable results without resulting in a steamed-up boat or using excessive amounts of water.

 

Even North American cookbooks bottle out and resort to ounce measures when including recipes for pasta, because it's usually fiendishly difficult to guess how much to make.  a thrifty voyager doesn't not want to waste pasta and it's one of the least useful leftovers unless you happen to have a passion for pasta salad.  Of course, if you have a new pack, you can work out that you need a quarter, or whatever, for 2 servings, but many voyagers – and I am one of them – decant their pasta into large, plastic containers to save them from weevls.  Moreover, once you've taken out the first serving, it becomes more and more difficult to divide up what's left, let alone remember how many servings have already been removed. I am therefore assuming this is the situation and as we can’t use scales underway, I am giving my measurements by the handful. I generally use about 4 handfuls of pasta for 2 people, assuming a generous amount of sauce, because this is a main course, rather than the smaller amounts used more to flavour the pasta, of traditional Italian cuisine.  I have small hands, but after experimenting, I reckoned that a handful is about the equivalent of a cup. Of course, this only works for small pasta, but if you follow the same plan, I’m sure you’ll soon work out what is appropriate for you.  I'm afraid it will be a matter of trial and error.  With spaghetti, or linguine: pull it out of the container and make a column of pasta with a diameter of about 25 mm (1 in). this seems to be about right for two.  You can actually get sticks with holes in them for measuring long pasta, and they're very good.  I've had two in my time, but both got thrown overboard (not by me!).  I generally use Method 1, but Method 2 is useful when preventing the cabin from steaming up is really important.

 VOYAGERS’ PASTA

 

Serves 2 

3 cups water + 1/2 tsp salt OR 2 cups fresh water, 1 cup seawater

4 handsful pasta OR 25 mm (1 in) column spaghetti, etc

1 tbsp olive oil

Method 1

• Heat water to boiling point.
• When the water is boiling rapidly, add the pasta and stir several times to separate the pieces from one another. If you are using long pasta, plunge one end in the water and then gently press down the other end until it’s all in the water. Then stir vigorously so that it all separates.
• Cover and turn down the heat so that the pan doesn’t boil over – it needs to be very low and often you need to move the lid slightly to let excess steam escape. Cook for +/- 10 minutes until the pasta is the texture you like. The only way to check this is by sampling a piece. A pasta spoon (the type with spikes) or kitchen tongs are ideal for this.
• Drain and serve with butter or olive oil and plenty of coarsely-ground black pepper.

Method 2 uses a pressure cooker and although unconventional, keeps steam to a minimum.

• Heat water to boiling point. Add olive oil or a knob of butter to help prevent the pasta from frothing up and boiling over.  This will mean that the sauce won't cling to the spaghetti as well as you'd like, but it will stop the vent from getting clogged.
  
• When the water is boiling, add the pasta and stir several times to separate the pieces from one another. If you are using long pasta, plunge one end in the water and then gently press down the other end until it’s all in the water. Then stir vigorously so that it all separates.
  
• Put on the lid and clamp it; keep the heat fairly high until the cooker comes up to pressure.
• Lower the heat and cook for no more than 3 minutes - you may need some trial and error with this, depending on how hot your flame is, how big the pressure cooker and at what pressure it cooks.
• Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and let the pressure reduce gradually – if you de-pressurise rapidly, the pasta collapses. The pasta will cook perfectly with this method.
• Drain and serve with butter or olive oil and plenty of coarsely-ground black pepper.

Notes:

• If you’re cooking for more than 2 people, keep a careful eye on things when you close the lid, to ensure that the liquid doesn’t froth up into the vent. This is unlikely to happen unless the pressure cooker is more than half full and you forgot the oil. 

• If you’re very concerned about condensation, lift the pasta from the pressure cooker with a pasta spoon or tongs, rather than tipping it through a colander, which always produces clouds of steam.

Oddly enough, I had only just finished writing this post when I came across an article on the Guardian website about cooking pasta.  It bore out my method!  https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jun/28/10-food-rules-you-should-ignore-felicity-cloake

Mushroom Strogonoff, with lentils and pasta

Even ‛traditional’, meat-based strogonoff seems to vary considerably. In USA, it’s usually swamped with sour cream (which is generally both thickened and soured artificially); in Europe they are more likely to stir a couple of tablespoonfuls of crème frâiche into the sauce. They also include a little tomato purée and Dijon mustard is essential: although mushrooms and onions weren’t included in the original recipe, mustard most certainly was. Neither tomato purée nor mustard is generally mentioned in USAnian recipes. A little white wine or brandy can be added for special occasions.

Apparently allspice was in the original recipe. I also include paprika for its earthiness, which I really like.

Many vegan versions of this don’t use a ‛meat’ equivalent at all, so couldn’t really be much further from the original. I like the combination of textures of either seitan or lentils with the mushrooms and I cook this meal in two different ways. The seitan looks more like the original, the lentils are quicker to prepare. I decided to put them as two separate posts, because they need slightly different cooking and also, different pans.

Serves 2

Ingredients

olive oil

4 or 5 medium/2 cups sliced button mushrooms *

1 small OR 1/2 onion finely chopped or sliced

1/2 cup whole lentils

1 cup water

1 tbsp flour

1/4 cup brandy or white wine

1/4 cup mushroom stock or water

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard

2 tsp tomato paste

1 tbsp (vegan) crème fraîche

Method:

• Heat some olive oil in a pressure cooker, over a medium-high heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook them for about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
• Add some more olive oil and when it’s hot, add the onions. Cook until just turning translucent but not browned.
• Add the lentils and stir around with the onions for a minute or so, pour in a cup of water, put on the lid and bring up to pressure. Cook for 10 minutes and let the pressure come down gradually.
• Put the pan back over the heat, remove the lid, sprinkle on a little flour and stir to coat everything and cook off some of the raw flour taste.
• Add the brandy or (far more likely!) wine to the pan.
• Stir in the mushroom stock or water, salt and black pepper, allspice, paprika, mustard and tomato purée. Mix well and simmer gently for about 10 minutes so that the flavours combine.
• Stir in the crème fraîche and the reserved mushrooms, and cook for a few more minutes. Don’t let it boil.

Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes, fried potato wedges or whatever takes your fancy. (I like either fettuccine or smashed potatoes.

Notes: 

• *If you have lots of mushrooms, or they’re cheap, feel free to use a lot more! Other varieties would be as good, not better, than button mushrooms.
•  Instead of crème fraîche, use yoghurt, or vegan cream plus 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar.

 

Chickpeas and fusilli in tomato sauce

 

 

This is an old favourite of mine. Incredibly simple to make, but astonishingly good to eat. Moreover, this is perfect voyaging food, because it is made from ingredients that you will have in your lockers. I prefer it with fusilli – spirals – but of course it will go with whatever pasta you have on board.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup of chickpeas, soaked and cooked

a good glug of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or diced

425 g/14 oz can of tomatoes (See Notes)

a little wine

about a dozen black olives

1 tsp capers

1 tsp Annie's Mixed Herbs

up to 1/4 tsp chilli flakes

salt and pepper

4 handfuls of fusilli

Method:

• Cook the chickpeas as usual.
• Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add a little salt to speed things up, if you want.
• When the onion is almost cooked, add the garlic and cook until it’s soft.
• Now add the tomatoes and rinse out the can with wine, if you’re using it. If you’re using whole tomatoes, break them up with your spoon.
• If you’re using them, stone and halve the olives. Add the drained capers.
• Season with herbs andchilli flakes - which give a nice lift - and a generous amount of black pepper. Taste and add salt if it can take it.
• Bring to the boil and add the chickpeas.
• Lower the heat and cook until the sauce has become quite thick.
• When the sauce is almost ready, cook the fusilli until it reaches the consistency you like.
• Remove it from the cooking water with a slotted spoon, or drain it into a jug (you may need some of the water to thin down the sauce) and add it to the other pan. Cook for a few minutes longer. Check the seasoning and serve.

Add Parmesan (vegan, if you prefer) at the table, if you like it.

Notes:

• Ideally, use chopped tomatoes in purée, but if you don’t have those, any others will do. It’s worth using better quality tomatoes in this recipe (most recipes for that matter!) for the extra flavour. They seem to be less watery, too.
• Substitute dried, cooked chickpeas with a can

Variation

• Use cannellini or butter beans.
• Add finely diced celery if you have some.
• Try this with pasta shells, or similar. You want a pasta that will hold the sauce.

Peanut Chutney

 Blender alert

This isn’t what most Westerners would think of as a chutney. To us it is more of a pâté or a spread. However, it tastes surprisingly good and goes very well with lentil flatbreads. However, it’s also very acceptable as part of a ‛charcutérie’ board with bread or crackers. The tempering adds an exotic touch, but isn’t essential, especially if there are other dips and pâtés on the board.

Ingredients

1½ tsp oil

1 to 2 green chillies or dried red chillies, to taste

1½ tbsp urad dal or chana dal

1/2 cup raw peanuts, OR roasted peanuts

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp of garlic OR ginger paste

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

Tempering (optional)

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp black mustard seeds

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

1/4 tsp crushed garlic

1 pinch asafoetida/hing (omit for GF)

Method:

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry chillies and dal until the dal turns golden.
• Remove and set aside.
• Add peanuts and fry over a medium flame until golden and aromatic.
• Add cumin to the hot peanuts. Keep aside to cool.
• Transfer all these to a blender along with garlic/ginger, salt and 1/2 to 3/4 cup water.
• If your are using it, add the tamarind paste.
• Blend until it’s smooth.
• Taste and add more salt and chilli if required.

Tempering (optional)

• Add 1 teaspoon oil to the hot pan.
• Next add mustard, red chilli and garlic. Fry until fragrant.
• Lastly add hing.
• Turn off the heat and pour the tempering over the chutney.

Serve peanut chutney with bread, crackers or lentil flatbreads.

Notes:

• If you are using roasted and salted peanuts, don’t add any more salt until you’ve mixed and tasted the chutney.
• You can dry roast the peanuts without oil.
• Traditionally, the peanuts are dry roasted first and then the skin removed. In this case, brown the skin as well as the nut to bring out the full flavour. A compromise is to use blanched peanuts and roast them yourself. They will add a better flavour to the chutney.

Carrot chutney

Blender Alert

This is another Indian chutney, that most of us would not recognise as such, and while it may sound unpromising, it’s very good. Like the peanut chutney, it also makes a very useful spread or dip, particularly with lentil flatbreads. The tempering adds a bit more spice and an interesting appearance. If you’re serving it with bread, or crackers, along with other ‛charcuterie’, you might prefer it without. It will still be both an unusual and pleasant addition.

Makes a good cupful

1 tbsp (coconut) oil (divided) 

2 tsp chana dal OR roasted peanuts

1 tsp urad dal OR sesame seeds

2 dried red chillies (adjust to taste)

1/2 garlic paste

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 green chilli (adjust to taste)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup carrots (chopped, 200 grams)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 to 2 tsp lemon juice OR tamarind paste

Optional Tempering

1 tsp (coconut) oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

1/4 tsp garlic paste

1 pinch hing (asafoetida)

Method

• Pour 1 teaspoon oil to a hot pan. Add chana dal, urad dal and red chillies to the hot oil and fry until the dal turns light golden.
• Add garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry until the dal turns deep golden to light brown. Add cumin seeds, stir and remove all of the fried ingredients to a plate.
• To the same pan, pour 2 teaspoons oil. Add carrots, salt and turmeric. Stir fry on a medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant. Covered and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Turn off the heat and cool.
• Add the cooled dal, ginger, garlic, chillies and cumin to a blender and make a slightly coarse powder.
• Add the cooked carrots and tamarind paste/lemon juice. Pour in 1/4 cup water. Blend to a smooth or coarse chutney to suit your liking, scraping the sides as you go.
• Taste and add more salt if you think it needs it.
• Adjust the consistency to suit with more water, if you want to.

To temper (optional)

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilli flakes and garlic paste. Fry until the cumin seeds have changed colour and the spices smell fragrant. Add hing and turn off.
• Pour the tempering over the carrot chutney.

Notes:

• Leave out the hing for GF.
• Chana dal and urad dal are added for flavour and taste. However, for a change, you can use roasted, skinned peanuts and white sesame seeds. Both work well but the chutney tastes different. Most of us have salted peanuts on board and these can be used, but in that case, add the salt after you’ve blended the chutney so as not to over-salt it.
• You could make this without a blender, if you used peanuts and sesame seeds and either chopped the peanuts, or ground both in a Mouli. The other ingredients would need to be cooked until they were very soft and you might want to use a little cayenne pepper and ground cumin instead of the whole spices. This would end up a little more chunky, but none the worse for that.
• Use young juicy carrots and not old, tough ones. If they need peeling, rather than scrubbing, they won’t go well in this chutney. 
• Ginger and garlic: I love both, but you can skip one of them if you prefer. The chutney is quite delicately flavoured, so follow the recipe and don’t use too much.
• Chillies: Dried chillies add pungent flavours and heat while the fresh green chillies add heat. You can use one or the other, if you prefer. I use green chillies in brine due to the insane expense of fresh ones (in New Zealand).