Pasta e Ceci
Every Italian nonna has their recipe for Pasta e Cici (Pasta and Chickpeas) and mine came by way of my grandmother’s sister, Zia Rose. Aunt Rose’s recipe called for adding canned carrots and broken linguini (it was a different time!) and well, you can imagine why the recipe never became a personal favorite.
I had quite a different reaction while reading Victoria Granof’s version on the Smitten Kitchen blog. Deb Perlman’s description of the one pot, 20-minute pasta, that relied more on chickpeas than starch, immediately grabbed my attention. After a week of leaving the recipe tab opened on my computer, it was go time.
I set out to make this quick dinner for myself and my two chickpea loving kids, only to realize that I was out of tomato paste which was somewhat ironic considering it is one of a grand total of five ingredients in the recipe. Have no fear, the ultimate nonna–my next door neighbor Adele–came to my rescue and Pasta e Ceci was served. My kids and I unanimously loved it and agreed that it tasted like Italian comfort food, something that would be delicious on a both a cold day and when fighting a cold. I will undoubtably be making this recipe again but am curious to try Adele’s recipe which I am hopeful she’ll share after reading today’s post.
I should note that while the rosemary-garlic oil finishing drizzle was a very nice touch, the dish would be delicious without it. So if you don’t have time or any fresh rosemary on hand, don’t let that stop you. Also, I doubled the recipe (which is reflected below) to serve 3-4 people, the original recipe was written to serve 1-2, so halve if you’re whipping it up for yourself. And just a suggestion, this simple dish would be perfect to serve right before heading out to trick-or-treat this Thursday…even the color is right! Enjoy!
Pasta e Ceci
Ingredients
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 6 Tbls tomato paste
- 2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 c uncooked ditalini pasta or another small shape
- 4 c hot water
Finishing Oil
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
- salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot or deep saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until it shimmers.
- Add 2 smashed cloves of garlic and cook, stirring until it becomes lightly, barely browned but very fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and pepper and cook them with the garlic for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the chickpeas, pasta, and water. Stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, lower the heat, and simmer until the pasta is cooked and a lot of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Note: with a shape like ditalini, you’ll need to stir fairly regularly to ensure that the pasta doesn’t adhere to the bottom of the pot.
- Taste and adjust seasoning and ladle into bowls.
- To make finishing oil: Heat olive oil in a small sauce- or frying pan over medium-low heat with minced garlic, rosemary, a pinch or two of salt and pepper flakes, until sizzling; pull it off the heat as soon as the garlic is going to start taking on color. Drizzle this over bowls of pasta e ceci and eat it right away.