Pasta E Ceci Recipes

PASTA E CECI (ITALIAN PASTA AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red-pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the tomatoes and the chickpeas, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or spatula and smashing about 1/2 cup of the beans.
• Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. The water will mostly be absorbed by the pasta, but if you prefer it brothier, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup water and simmer until warmed through, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the escarole and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

CACIO E PEPE PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the pepper and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the pasta and up to 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, tossing to coat. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and continue to cook, tossing, until the cheese is melted and the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Add a little more of the cooking liquid to loosen, if necessary. Season with salt and divide among 4 bowls. Serve with additional Parmesan and pepper.

PASTA E CECI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery and leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are wilted, about 5 minutes. Clear a space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste, rosemary, garlic and red pepper flakes. Let toast for a minute, then stir into the vegetables. Add the chickpeas, lemon zest, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, if using, 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash some of the chickpeas until the broth appears creamy and slightly thick, leaving plenty of chickpeas whole, 6 or 7 mashes around the pot should do the trick. Add the ditalini and 1 cup water. Return to a simmer and cook until the ditalini is very al dente, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let sit until the broth is thickened and the pasta finishes cooking, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves, cheese rind and lemon zest before serving. Season the pasta e ceci with salt, if needed. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.

PASTA E CECI (PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and rosemary, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic softens and turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook until tomato paste is fragrant and turns dark brick red, about 1 minute.
• Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer, and cook until wine has emulsified with olive oil and mixture is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
• If using cooked dry chickpeas: Stir in 1 cup (170g) chickpeas and 1 cup (240ml) chickpea cooking liquid. Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash chickpeas against the sides and bottom of the pot until completely broken down. Stir in the rest of the chickpeas and remaining 3 cups (710ml) cooking liquid (supplementing with stock or water as needed to reach 3 cups), and black pepper. Season with salt to taste. Proceed to Step 4. If using canned chickpeas: Remove Dutch oven from heat; remove and discard rosemary sprig. Add 1 cup (170g) chickpeas and 1 cup (240ml) stock, and using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you do not have a handheld immersion blender, transfer mixture to blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour mixture back into Dutch oven.) Stir in remaining 2 cups (340ml) of chickpeas, 3 cups (710ml) stock, and black pepper. Season with salt to taste.
• Bring chickpea mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is just shy of al dente (1 to 2 minutes less than the package directs, as the pasta will continue to cook off-heat), and liquid is reduced to a consistency that falls between soupy and saucy. Adjust consistency as needed with additional water, stock, or chickpea cooking liquid, keeping in mind that liquid will tighten up as it cools due to starch from the chickpeas.
• Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season with salt to taste. Divide between individual serving bowls (for the dried chickpea version, look out for the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig; remove and discard them), and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Serve, passing extra grated cheese at the table.

PASTA E CECI EATING WITH THE SOPRANOS!

Steps:

• In large pot, cook pancetta in oil over medium heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until garlic is golden.
• Add chickpeas, tomatoes and parsley, bring to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes.
• Crush some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon.
• Add 4 cups water to pot and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente, tender yet still firm to the bite.
• Add more water if necessary to prevent pasta from sticking to bottom of pot.
• The consistency should be just loose enough to require eating with a spoon.
• Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with coarsely ground black pepper.

PASTA E CECI (JAMIE OLIVER)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet or soup pot over medium-low heat, and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, celery leaves, and garlic, covered, until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
• Add the rosemary, chickpeas and stock and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are soft. Remove half the chickpeas with a slotted spoon, and purée the remaining soup in a blender, through a food mill, or with an immersion blender. Return the purée and reserved chickpeas to the pot, and add the pasta.
• Cook until the pasta is tender, adding boiling water if necessary to loosen. Season to taste with salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Serve with parsley or basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.