Rigatoni with chickpeas and footnotes.

Everyone talks the talk about supporting farmers but few walk the walk.

It's all very well paying an extra forty cents for milk, but it's mere gesture purchasing if you then go to the next aisle and load up on Mutti passata, or any Italian tomato product for that matter.

Mutti preaches a responsible approach to nature, so why spoil that by shipping the things halfway round the earth? I'm turning locavore one can at a time.

Australian canned tomatoes including cherry tomatoes are sitting right next to the imports, so use them instead.

Rigatoni with tomato, herbs and chick peas.

Chop an onion finely, and cook in olive oil¹ until translucent. Add a crushed clove of garlic. While it's cooking, puree two cans of diced tomatoes. Add the pureed tomatoes, a dash of salt, a dash of sugar, a dash of chili pepper and half a teaspoon of dried basil to the onion. Cook gently. Add a little water if necessary to achieve a smooth, saucy consistency. Toss in half a can of chick peas².

Simmer a minute or two and fold through a tablespoon of cream at the end of cooking.

Cook 500g (regular pack) of rigatoni³ in plenty of salted water. Drain and add sauce. Top with grated parmesan⁴ if you wish.

¹ See note re tomatoes.
² Could be a problem getting local ones but let's just worry about the tomatoes and olive oil for the moment.
³ Plenty of local pasta varieties available including Da Vinci and La Triestina without having to buy the pretentious imports.
⁴ You're getting the idea.