340g orzo
1 ¼ cups loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Pinch of sea salt flakes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon peel
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Freshly cracked black pepper
Pinch of sea salt flakes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 oil-packed sundried tomatoes (48g), chopped
3 cups (60-70g) baby kale leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup (32g) pine nuts, toasted
Crumbled feta for serving
Spicy Chickpeas
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, well drained and rinsed
2 x tablespoons Ras el Hanout spice mix – or a Moroccan blend would also work well
2 x tablespoons olive oil
In a small bowl mix together the chopped parsley, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, a pinch of sea salt flakes and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized non-stick pan. Once warmed, add the drained chickpeas. Leave for 2-3 minutes or until they start to sizzle. Shake the chickpeas around in the pan and then sprinkle the spice mix over. Shake the pan around a few more times to coat the chickpeas with the spice mix, adding a drizzle more olive oil if they begin to look dry. Once they have coloured and crisped up a little remove from pan and set aside.
Heat a large pot of water to boiling and add half a teaspoon of salt. Add the orzo and cook al dente. Because orzo is so small it doesn’t take very long to get to this point. Don’t overcook it as it will continue to cook a little more later when added to the other ingredients in the pan. Once cooked drain the orzo, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Set aside.
Reheat the non-stick pan to medium adding the ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Once warmed, add the sliced garlic cloves and fry, turning regularly until golden in colour. Add the preserved lemon peel, chilli flakes, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt mixing together with the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the orzo cooking water and mix or whisk in. Add the cooked orzo, lemon juice and sliced sundried tomatoes and gently turn through the sauce. Add a little more of the orzo cooking water if required to achieve the right consistency. Add the baby kale leaves and turn through until the kale has wilted down. Add the parsley mix, pine nuts and spicy chickpeas and gently turn through.
Serve sprinkled with crumbled feta and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
