Einkorn Spaghetti with Chickpeas, Tuna Ventresca, and Bonito Flakes

In 2010, New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton posted a version of this dish as one of the 15 best things he ate that entire year. “It sounds like hippie chickpeas with spaghetti, I know,” wrote Sifton, before going on to praise it in prose that sounded more like poetry (it “evokes nothing so much as a coastal forest.”)

The original recipe was from the restaurant Del Posto, which had recently been awarded a rare four-star review. So I probably shouldn’t mess with it… But here goes: I increase the vegetable, and add silky ventresca tuna belly. And I punch up the flavor by replacing nutty grated Parmigiano Reggiano with sharper, more assertive pecorino romano.

At the table, this dish isn’t just food; it’s theater. Credit that to the bonito flakes. Native to Japan, bonito flakes are paper-thin shreds of dried, fermented fish. In addition to adding intense umami flavor to anything they touch, they bend and twist, crinkle and spin, when exposed to heat. Sprinkle them on something still hot: it looks like they’re dancing. 

serves 3-4

• 8 oz einkorn (or other ancient grain) spaghetti
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas.
• 1 Tbsp olive oil for sauteeing
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed
• 1 medium carrot, diced about the size of chickpeas
• 1 stalk celery, diced about the size of chickpeas
• 1 small, or 1/2 medium red onion, medium dice
• 1 6.7-oz jar tuna Ventresca in olive oil
• 1/2 oz bonito flakes
• high quality olive oil for drizzling
• good Parm or pecorino romano, ground
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large, deep saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the garlic and rosemary in the oil over low heat about 10 minutes.
2. Raise the heat to medium, and add the carrot, celery, and onion. Stir often until carrots are al dente soft, another ~10 minutes.
3. Discard (compost!) the garlic and rosemary. Add the can of chick peas, including its liquid, to the mix. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by about half.
4. Cook pasta, drain, add to the pan, and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil from the tuna jar, plus salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot, with a portion of tuna, a drizzle of finishing oil, a dusting of cheese, and a generous sprinkle of bonito at the table.