Pasta E Ceci Chickpea Soup Food

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 (ITALIAN CHICKPEA SOUP)

Steps:

• On medium heat, heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery and carrot. Add garlic when vegetables are about halfway cooked. Let cook until all vegetables are tender.
• Add crushed strained tomatoes, chick peas, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to the pot (note - when adding the chick peas, add the liquid from the can too. This will add extra flavor). Let the tomato sauce reduce until thick - about 30 minutes.
• Add chicken or vegetable broth to the pot. Let it come to a boil. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Add pasta to pot once the soup is boiling. Let pasta cook until it's soft. Since this is a soup, you want the consistency of the pasta to be cooked a bit more than al dente.
• Plate, and top with olive oil, parmesan and chili flakes.

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 - PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Add onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary in pan with olive oil and cook over gentle heat for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Be careful not to caramelize them!
• Drain chickpeas in cold water and add them to pan, then cover with chicken stock. Cook over gentle heat for 30 minutes.
• Remove half the chickpeas and reserve in a bowl.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the remaining soup (or jush mash the chick peas up really well with a potato masher for a more rustic presentation).
• Return reserved chickpeas to pan, and add pasta. Cook gently until the chickpeas are tender and the pasta is cooked.
• If the soup is a little too thick, add small amounts of hot water until it's the consistency you like.
• Season with salt, pepper, vinegar, and fresh herbs. Serve with a good loaf of bread!
• Feel free to exchange the type of stock - this is equally good with beef or chicken instead of vegetable!

MINESTRA DE CECI (ITALIAN CHICKPEA AND PASTA SOUP)

Steps:

• Puree half the chickpeas with 1 cup of the stock or water in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté until the garlic just begins to brown.
• Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Add the remaining stock, the chickpea puree and the remaining whole chickpeas.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 more minutes.
• Add the pasta and bring to a light boil until the pasta is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
• Serve with crusty bread.
• *Variations.
• Use any small pasta for this soup: orzo, macaroni, shells. Or break spaghetti or capellini into small pieces.
• Stir in 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or chard in the last 5 minutes if you like.