Creative Director, TV Show Presenter and Author
Simon Bryant is the Creative Director of 'Tasting Australia' - Australia’s premium Food and Wine festival. He is a former Hilton Adelaide Executive Chef and co-presenter of 152 episodes of ABC Television’s "The Cook and the Chef" with Maggie Beer. He is the author of Vegies and the recently published 'Vegetables, Grains and Other Good Stuff'. He describes his food philosophy as using the most ethically sourced, local and fresh ingredients, getting them onto a plate with the minimum of fuss and letting the produce shine.
Simon was named the Australian International Year of Pulses ambassador for 2016.
More from Simon Bryant
Kabuli Chickpeas, Garlicky Wilted Spinach and Red Onion Pasta
Courtesy of Simon Bryant, Australian chef and television presenter who has regularly made TV appearances on ABC’s ‘The Cook and the Chef’. He has recently published his book ‘Vegetables, Grains and Other Good Stuff’. Among other roles, he is the creative director of the Australian national food festival ‘Tasting Australia’.
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Ingredients
Kabuli Chickpeas, Garlicky Wilted Spinach and Red
- 250 g kabuli chickpeas
- wholemeal pasta (pappardelle, linguini, whatever; wider pasta is better here)
- small bunch of spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- handful of parmesan
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- pepper and salt flakes
Directions
- Prepare 250 g of kabuli chickpeas by soaking in plenty of cold water overnight in the fridge. Drain and discard the soak water then add 3 times their volume in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender. Drain, but reserve about 60 ml of the cooking liquid (it’s tasty).
- Cook up some quality wholemeal pasta (pappardelle, linguini, whatever; wider pasta is better here). Drain then toss in olive oil.
- Grab a small bunch of spinach (or any leafy green you fancy) and separate the leaves from the stems. Fry the stems and chickpeas over gentle heat in a decent dollop of good olive oil with a two cloves of crushed garlic for a couple of minutes. Fold in the leaves and splash in a squeeze of lemon juice, a little lemon zest, and the reserved chickpea cooking liquid. The spinach will wilt in a few seconds so don’t overcook at this stage.
- Throw that lot in a bowl with the pasta; add olive oil, cracked pepper, half a finely sliced red onion, salt flakes and a handful of grated parmesan.