Separate the gai lan stems from the leaves. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the gai lan stems into long, thing strips. Effectively, you're 'peeling' broad, flat pieces of gai lan until the whole stem has been used up. Set the thin pieces aside. Chop the leaves into thin strips and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the spaghettini and cook until al dente. Drain thoroughly.

In a large non-stick (or very well-seasoned cast iron) pan, heat about half of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant and soft; about 3-4 minutes. Add the sun dried tomatoes, gai lan stems, pepper, oregano, tomato paste, and sugar and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Stir the gai lan leaves into the mixture, cook for about 1 minute, then empty the contents of the pan into a large bowl or plate.

Return the pan to the heat, then add the chickpeas along with about 1 tbsp of the remaining olive oil. Cook gently over medium heat until the chickpeas are soft and starting to burst slightly. Return the other ingredients to the pan and mix together thoroughly. Stir in the remaining olive oil and season with salt, to taste.

Mix the cooked spaghettini with the pasta sauce, or serve the sauce over top of individual portions of pasta. Garnish with reggiano-parmigiano cheese and/or chili flakes that you'd like. Serve immediately.