Recipes Chickpea and Swiss Chard Fideos with Orange Aioli Be the first to rate & review! Fideos (thin dried wheat noodles usually sold in coils) were introduced to Spain by the Moors and are used in Middle Eastern and Spanish dishes. Slideshow: Recipes with Chickpeas By Ana Sortun Ana Sortun F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Oleana, Sofra (Cambridge, MA) Education: La Varenne Cooking School, Paris What are you known for? Using spices and eastern Mediterranean flavors. Favorite cookbooks of all time. All of Greg Malouf’s books, for his creative view on Middle Eastern food, his ability put a personal, modern touch on something so traditional. What’s one technique everyone should know? How to mince garlic using the back of a knife. I don’t mean smashing it—I mean literally slicing it with the opposite, dull edge of the blade. It minces the garlic finely without juicing it up too much. Best-bang-for-the-buck food trip? Turkey, particularly Istanbul or Gaziantep. Istanbul’s not so cheap but the street food is—I love to get the tripe sandwiches and fried mussels in the market. Gazientep is inexpensive. It’s the food capital of Turkey. I love the restaurant Imam Cagdas. If you could invent a restaurant for an imaginary project, what would it be? Some type of cool community center with classes and a bunch of different cafés. There are several where I’m from in Seattle, but none out here in Boston. What is your current food obsession? Sprouted things, like lentils and grains. I’ve been experimenting with some sprouting projects. I soak the beans or grains, then spread them out on a big sheet tray and cover them with a wet towel. We’ve been putting the sprouts in salads mostly, with storage—crop vegetables like shaved carrots, cabbage or turnips. Describe a meal that tells your story as a chef. I first went to Turkey about 15 years ago, invited by some friends. I didn’t know anything about the country. We went to Gaziantep, where they arranged a potluck lunch. Thirty-five women each brought a different recipe they cherished. That’s where I first tasted the spice combinations we now use—unusual ones like sumac and dried spearmint and different red peppers, or cumin combined with cinnamon. Nothing was heavily spiced, but their bright flavors were like nothing I had never imagined before. Salads, vegetables cooked in yogurt, tiny bulgur meatballs braised with eggplant and tomato—the style of food and the flavors inspired me to start studying what I make now. What do you eat straight out of the fridge, standing up? Oh, my god, what don’t I eat straight out of the fridge standing up? I don’t think I can narrow it down to one thing. Best new store-bought ingredient? Kalamata olives from Paul Hatziiliades of Extra Virgin Foods. He’s bringing some great stuff in from Greece (extravirginfoods.com). I’ve always hated kalamatas since they’re usually mushy and overbrined, but his are the most exquisite ones I’ve ever had in my life. They come from a small estate. Favorite online shop?Ritrovo.com. They have some beautiful things from Italy; we use their Controne peppers at Sofra, our bakery. It’s a dried pepper somewhat like Urfa or Aleppo pepper, but with more heat. Theirs is made by one man, who sorts the peppers by hand and dries them in the sun. Favorite app? ChefsFeed, for eating out when I’m traveling. I used it when I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. They’ve done an amazing job. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 9, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Lauren Volo Yield: 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 large white onion, chopped 1 carrot, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, smashed 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder Pinch of saffron threads 1 bay leaf 4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped 3 medium ancho chiles—stemmed, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces 2 1/2 quarts water Salt Freshly ground pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound dried fideos or angel hair coils, broken into 2-inch lengths 1 1/4 pounds green Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves chopped One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons of Orange Aioli Directions In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables just start to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander, fennel, cocoa, saffron and bay leaf; cook for 10 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes, ancho chiles and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Working in batches, puree the broth in a blender until smooth. Strain into a clean pot. Season the broth with salt and pepper and boil over high heat until reduced to just 8 cups. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pasta and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 5 minutes. Stir in the Swiss chard by handfuls, adding more as it wilts. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is almost tender and most of the broth has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, until heated through and the broth has been almost completely absorbed by the pasta, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the Orange Aioli, season with salt and pepper and serve with the remaining aioli. Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat before proceeding. Rate it Print