Elbows With Chickpeas And Escarole Recipes

CHICKPEA AND ESCAROLE SOUP

Steps:

• Roughly chop the escarole and place in a large bowl. Cover with cold water. Set aside.
• In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion. Season with a pinch of salt. Stir to distribute. Cover. Immediately turn heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until onions are translucent and beginning to take on some color.
• Remove the lid from the pot, and add the escarole, scooping it from the bowl of water with your hands, leaving the water behind - some water clinging to the greens is fine. Let the escarole cook for a minute undisturbed, then use tongs to stir and encourage it to wilt down, which will happen quickly, 1-2 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas and their cooking liquid - if you are using the slow cooker chickpea recipe, you can dump the entire contents of the slow cooker into the pot (remove the onion half and bay leaf first). This is roughly 6 heaping cups of chickpeas and 4 cups of cooking liquid. Add 4 more cups of water. Add the parmesan rind if using. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Let simmer 25-30 minutes or until the broth, chickpeas and escarole taste nicely seasoned. Taste for salt. If you are using the slow cooker chickpeas, whose broth is nicely seasoned, plus a parmesan rind, you likely won't need to add more salt. But if not, add salt to taste.
• To make the crusty bread, heat a large skillet over medium heat with some olive oil. Cook slices of bread on one side until golden. Flip, and cook the other side till crisp and golden.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Dunk in a slice of olive oil toasted bread. Crack pepper over top. Shave parmesan over top if you wish.

PASTA E FAGIOLI WITH CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start softening, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and rosemary and cook until the tomato paste darkens in color, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in 6 cups water, the chickpeas with their liquid, the parmesan rind, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the soup (chickpeas, vegetables and broth) and puree in a blender, then return to the pot. (Alternatively, partially puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
• Stir the pasta and escarole into the soup. Cook until the pasta is tender and the escarole is wilted, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan. Top each serving with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and more parmesan.

SPANISH-STYLE CHICKPEAS AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the escarole in batches and cook until completely wilted, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in the cumin, pimenton, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt to taste. Serve.
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PASTA WITH ESCAROLE AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, then stir in the escarole, chickpeas, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes; cover and cook until the escarole wilts, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. After a few minutes, remove 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water and add to the skillet with the escarole mixture; simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half and the escarole is tender, about 5 minutes. When the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing to combine, 1 minute; add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions; add the escarole during the last 2 minutes, cover and do not stir. Remove the escarole with tongs; set aside. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Meanwhile, if you're using capers, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the capers and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook the garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes until the garlic toasts slightly, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, a pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Cook until the tomatoes and chickpeas brown, about 6 minutes. Add the escarole and reserved tomato juice and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 4 more minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce; season with salt and pepper. (If the sauce is thick, add some reserved pasta water.) Stir in the cheese and top with fried capers, if using, and more cheese.