Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea and Pasta Stew)
Pasta e Ceci, or Italian chickpea and pasta stew, is an Italian classic, and the star in my favorite Italian movie, "I Soliti Sospetti", where the Usual Suspects try to steal money from a bank vault, but instead break into the wrong building and end up eating pasta with chickpeas in someone's kitchen. This is Italian comfort food. If you can't find ditalini pasta, use spaghetti that have been broken into pieces.
Ingredients
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1 cup dry chickpeas
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1 tablespoon baking soda
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1 yellow onion
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1 stalk celery
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1 small zucchini
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1 carrot
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 sprig fresh sage leaves
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1 sprig fresh rosemary
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1 sprig fresh thyme
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3 cups chicken broth, or more as needed
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2 peeled whole canned tomatoes
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8 1/2 ounces ditalini pasta, such as Barilla® Gluten Free Ditalini
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salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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1 fresh cayenne pepper, seeded and minced, or more to taste
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1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Rinse chickpeas under cool water. Pick up handfuls of chickpeas and rub them together with your hands under the water to wash chickpeas. Place chickpeas in a large stew pot, cover with water and add baking soda; swirl chickpeas and water to distribute baking soda. Leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight.
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The next day, pour chickpeas through a strainer and rinse well under cold running water, eliminating any skins or discolored chickpeas; set aside.
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Grate onion, celery, zucchini, and carrot on the large teeth of a cheese grater, This step is very important as grated vegetables give a different flavor than diced.
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the stew pot over medium heat, and sauté grated vegetables for 1 minute. Mix in sage, rosemary, and thyme and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add 3 cups broth, all the chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in pasta. Add more broth only as needed to achieve a thick, stew-like consistency.
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Cook until pasta is tender with a bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and divide amongst serving bowls. Top each bowl with minced cayenne pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
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