There is so, so much to process at the moment, and so many levels on which this is all still completely surreal, but here I am, back on the blog after a rather long hiatus, with a new recipe for the Coronavirus lockdown. Wow. I just double took as I typed that.  What’s happening at the moment is completely overwhelming, and it’s really bloody hard not to feel lost amidst the chaos of it all. There have been so many moments this week when I’ve felt totally demotivated and called everything into question, feeling like it’s futile in the face of what we’re all up against. But as the best thing that most of us can do at the moment is stay at home, and one of the kindest and most crucial things we can do for ourselves, our families and our neighbours is cook homemade meals; I feel compelled – and, it needs to be said, greatly privileged – to cook and share my way through this, one day at a time. I’m trying to contribute things that I think are helpful and delicious, that might bring some joy, distraction and nourishment.

Pantry Provisions is about recipes that can be largely made with pantry or dry store ingredients. I’m finding that what I really want to eat right now is comfort food, what about you? I’m sure this will wane as we get more and more used to the ‘new normal’, but for now, I’m taking solace in starchy carbs, and deep, bitter greens; the sharpness and silk of a creamy tomato sauce. This recipe is something that – if you’re lucky enough to still have some pasta to work through – can be rustled up inexpensively with things you’re likely to have in your cupboards and fridge, and even if you don’t have pasta, I’d argue that the tomato sauce is worth making. You could make twice the quantity of crispy chickpeas and just eat it with that; smear it onto a flatbread or use it on a pizza.

Rigatoni with vodka sauce is a thing, and this is my spin on it, adding in chickpeas because I love the Italian way of combining pulses with pasta, but I thought it would be fun to play with a crunchier texture. The sauce is made using a dash of vodka, which – aside from saving us from some of the hard spirits – helps unlock the complexities of the sauce, bringing out flavour compounds that can’t be unleashed with simply water or fat. We use vodka because it doesn’t impart any flavour like wine would, but rather acts as an amplifier. A little double cream, because I had some in the fridge, is optional but recommended, just to really finish this off decadently. The crispy chickpeas bring extra heft and crunch, as well as a nuttiness and earthiness that works well against all the rich flavours.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe, leave me a comment below, and I’ll be be bringing more recipes to the blog over the coming weeks and months – so do let me know what you’d like to see more of on here.