Moroccan Style Pasta

The cover of the Tri-City Herald's Food & Wine section May 14 will feature whole wheat pastas, how they rate, tips on cooking and recipes. Inside you'll find more recipes plus buying, cooking and health tips on a variety of food-related subjects.

This is a delicious blend of the tastes of North Africa and the pasta of Italy. Serve with a cold beer.

Moroccan Style Pasta

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Servings: 6

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

8 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup canned chickpeas beans, drained

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

12 ounces pappardelle pasta (linguini also is good)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

Add the tomatoes, cinnamon and cumin. Cook, uncovered and stirring ocassionally, for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and almonds, then cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and add the pasta to the skillet.

Stir the pasta into the sauce for 1 minute, then add the parsley and cilantro and stir for another minute.

Recipe adapted from: Gino D'Acampo's cookbook Fantastico.