Super 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.

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.

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.

SUPER PASTA E CECI

Steps:

• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. If all water has not been absorbed, drain.
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook and stir until vegetables soften and onions begin to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chickpeas with liquid and cooked quinoa. Stir in jalapeno pepper. Add tomato sauce, salt, and nutritional yeast; stir to combine.
• Slowly pour in 2 cups boiling water; add ditalini. Continue to stir; add more water only if needed. Cook until ditalini are al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Mixture should have a stew-like consistency. Add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp are heated through, 1 more minute.
• Divide among serving bowls; top with fresh, chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

PASTA E CECI (PASTA AND CHICKPEAS)

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add olive oil, and begin to saute the pancetta or bacon over medium-high heat. When sufficiently browned, remove all but 2 tsp or so of the fat.
• Add onions and celery, sweat three minutes or so until they soften, add garlic, cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add pimento (or roasted red peppers), cook for a minute or so, then stir in hot pepper flakes (or cayenne), and anchovy paste, if you're using it.
• Add tomatoes, paste, and chicken broth, stirring until tomato paste is smooth. Add sugar, bay leaf and basil. Make sure it comes to a simmer if it already isn't, then turn heat down to medium-low, cover and let simmer for at least 40 minutes or so, stirring fairly frequently.
• Add pasta, and a little extra water if needed (I went with a bit under 1.5 cups of additional water), stir, and simmer, till pasta is tender. You will need to stir pretty frequently, or else surrender yourself to bottom-stick-stew.
• Top with some Parmesan or Romano.

SUPER PASTA E CECI

Steps:

• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. If all water has not been absorbed, drain.
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook and stir until vegetables soften and onions begin to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chickpeas with liquid and cooked quinoa. Stir in jalapeno pepper. Add tomato sauce, salt, and nutritional yeast; stir to combine.
• Slowly pour in 2 cups boiling water; add ditalini. Continue to stir; add more water only if needed. Cook until ditalini are al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Mixture should have a stew-like consistency. Add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp are heated through, 1 more minute.
• Divide among serving bowls; top with fresh, chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.