Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil. Separate the spaghetti so the noodles don’t clump together during cooking.

• Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon [2 tsp].
• Remove any pulp from the preserved lemon; finely chop the peel.
• Rinse the chickpeas.
• Crumble or shave the ricotta salata.

To the pot of boiling water, stir in the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. Return the spaghetti to the pot; toss with about 1 teaspoon oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
While the water heats and the spaghetti cooks, prepare the sauce.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Stir in the garlic, preserved lemon, tomato paste, and as many chile flakes as you like and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and vegetable broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the spaghetti and kale (the kale in batches if needed) and cook until the kale is just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spaghetti and vegetables to individual bowls, garnish with the ricotta salata, and serve.