Pine Nut and Chickpea Pasta

Here’s a great meditarenean inspired pasta dish. Both the chick peas and the pine nuts give the penne in this dish a nice nutty flavor. Very different from your usual pasta dishes, but very tasty non-the-less. Try it.

Pine Nut and Chickpea Pasta

Ingredients:
16 oz Penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cilantro
1×14oz can chickpeas
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup olive oil (extra)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook the penne pasta according to packet instructions in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, heat the olive oil and cook the garlic and onions until soft. Add the spices and stir for a minute. Then add cherry tomatoes, currants, extra oil and chickpeas, stir everything gently and cook until just heated through.

Add the pasta to the chickpea mixture, stir gently and serve immediately in deep bowls sprinkled with basil leaves and pine nuts.

Enjoy with a generous helping of Parmesan shavings!