YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS.
Pasta e Ceci will be your favorite light-yet-hearty dinner.
Happy Thursday W4D friends! If you are in the mood for something cozy/comfy, but not too heavy, have we got the recipe for you! This week it’s time to bust out the Dutch oven and make something that’s a little stew-y, a little hearty, and comforting AF…
PASTA E CECI
AU: If you’ve never had Pasta e Ceci (which means “Pasta and Chickpeas”), it’s a classic Italian comfort staple. At its core, it is simply pasta and chickpeas that are cooked in a light tomato broth with a sofritto as its backbone.
Sofritto usually consists of finely chopped onion, celery, and carrots that are sauteéd in butter or olive oil, but it varies from region-to-region. Quite a few different cuisines have their own “perfect” sofritto…
EK: Sorry, I have to interrupt!!
Spoiler Alert! Before Anthony tells us anything else about the how’s and why’s of the recipe, I have to say that if you people only make one recipe [this fall] from W4D, you have to make this one!! I made it last week and I am going to chime in with my take on the recipe and my un-be-liev-able results!
AU: Thanks EK! The thing I love about this recipe, is that it’s very easy to make, but the flavor tastes pretty, pretty, prettyyyyyyy good.
EK: The thing that I love about Anthony’s version of this Pasta and Chickpeas is that it is a stewy, soupy bowl of goodness. As the universe does—once you put something out there—soon after I made this version, Stanley Tucci popped into my IG feed making his version.
AU: THE ALGORITHM IS ALWAYS LISTENING!
EK: As we have already established, we love Stanley! But his version was a chunky sauce that he served on top of pasta. I am sure it’s good, but not great! The stewy, soupy version here is GREAT!
And one big reason is that the sofritto adds such a depth of flavor that it tastes like an Italian Nonna spent all day stirring and simmering, when in reality this takes less than an hour to make from pot-to-bowl!
AU: It’s pretty easy to make, too! You’ll want a food processor to do the heavy lifting. You just whir up some roughly chopped onions, celery, carrots, and pancetta (either cut it into chunks yourself, or buy it diced in the package). Sauté that in some olive oil until it gets nice and soft. Eventually—like when you make pâte à choux—the sofritto will stick to the bottom of the pan a little. This is a GREAT thing!! You want that stickage (aka fond).
Then, you use the same food processor—don’t even wash the bowl or blade—and use it to pulse/chop your canned tomatoes. You’ll add some anchovy, red pepper flakes, and fresh rosemary to the sofritto before adding in your chopped tomatoes and some water. This is when you’re going to want to scrape with your wooden spoon to lift up all that FLAVA FLAAAAAVE you built on the bottom of the pan (again, fond).
Here’s a crazy trick… DON’T DRAIN THE CHICKPEAS. That chickpea water (also known as aquafaba) is full of starchy goodness, kind of like pasta water. It’s going to help give your broth body and thicken the stew.
After you’ve let the chickpeas cook and soften to your liking (I like mine pretty soft ‘n’ creamy), cook your pasta directly in the broth. Again, more starch equals more body-ody-ody in that broth! I finish the stew with some sliced tuscan kale, because health. But you could also use escarole, swiss chard, or baby spinach. Finish your masterpiece off with some fresh lemon juice and parsley to brighten up the dish, and dinner is served!
EK: So, let’s talk substitutions. I couldn’t find 2 of the ingredients. I usually have no problem buying diced pancetta, but my TJs was out of pancetta. I improvised with a package of dry-aged extra-thick cut bacon and I used 2 slices (4 ounces) of it instead. I was concerned that it was going to be too smoky, but it wasn’t. Since this is not the recipe for a strong bacon flavor, I’d opt for a light smoked bacon.
I also couldn’t find the ditalini pasta, even though Barilla and DeLallo make it. I used a small shell pasta, but Anthony and I think that Orecchiette would also be very good! Next time, I think I am going to make it with Orecchiette.
AU: I think any shape of pasta that is similar to the chickpeas size, is perfect! Plus, with something like mini shells or orecchiette, the chickpeas will nestle into the pasta for a perfect bite!
EK: My final comment is that the grated Parm is the proverbial icing on the chickpea cake. The salty cheese is both the finishing touch, the seasoning, and the thing that makes this dish my new fave recipe. It’s integral to the dish. Don’t be tempted to leave it off and the more, the better!
AU: Agreed. I mean, is it even Italian without parm?? Make Pasta e Ceci the next time you need a big hug. I promise it won’t disappoint.
