members recipes

This is my version of a classic-rustic-staple, using basic ingredients to create an exceptional flavour. People will beg you for the recipe...actually, this meal is perfect for wooing a new love. You\'ll thank me for it, guarenteed. Don\'t be put off by the pressure cooker, it is key to blending and forcing the flavours together in a way unachievable by other means. Enjoy

Ingredients
250g packet of smoked bacon rashers or Pancetta, dry-cure bacon is best as the fat renders down – diced or slivers.
280g or 2/3 inches of 2 inch diameter quality chorizo chopped into small chunks.
Heaped teaspoon or so of smoked paprika, hot if you like…not too much heat, this dish lends itself to the plain chorizo kick.
Loads of your best olive oil - use as much as you dare.
Big fist full of rosemary - de-stalked - finely chop the leaves and pound them a bit.
480 grams of drained pre-soaked chickpeas (2 x tins are perfect) don’t forget to rinse.
460g or 3 big tomatoes – 4/5 normal
700g or 10/15 (unpeeled) small waxy potatoes
400 grams of Pasta shells – Conchiglie only.
950ml water – or a bit more•

Method
Method
Rinse chickpeas, put half in a blender with 250ml of water - add tomatoes - blend until smooth.
In the pressure-cooker, sauté the bacon or pancetta with the chorizo in tons of olive oil (100ml at least) – when bacon fat has reduced, add the rosemary and fry until the leaves are shrunk.
Add the unblended chickpeas - paprika - and fry off for a moment.
Add chickpea-tomato blended mix and 700ml of water - heat.
Chop up the potatoes ‘artistically’ into bite sized rustic chunks then add to mix.
Put the lid on the pressure cooker and bring up to steam - cook for 30 minutes on low setting.
Note: This mix at this point has a soupy consistency so it can burn on too much heat…carefully agitate the pot every few minutes (level and circular motion) to make sure there is no hot-spot burning the mixture. NEVER DO THIS WHEN COOKER IS FULL
Take off the heat - release steam - open lid.
We are ready to add the pasta shells and probably more water (Imagine the amount of water the pasta will soak up relative to the liquid remaining in the pot. You want a stew-like end result). Don’t over do the water or it’ll be knackered.
Whack the lid back on and cook the pasta off (approx 10 minutes or so) or until pasta is done - not too high a heat to finish the pasta.
Crikey! That last bit was vague…sorry. It’s the intuitive bit at this point which makes it perfect.
Enjoy.