Chilly!

Phew...yesterday was a cold one. Winter-y blasts with gusts up to 30-35 miles an hour, making the wind chill in the teens. Today is still quite brisk but not as gusty. While I still have my eye on salads like this...

I will be getting out the soup pot to make this...

Pasta e fagioli

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas*

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Sprig of fresh rosemary

¼ teaspoon dried pepper flakes

14 ounce can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

6 cups veggie stock

2/3 cup orecchiette pasta

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Parmesan cheese

Soak chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain and put in a large saucepan with sufficient cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered 45 minutes or until very tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, rosemary and hot pepper flakes along with a pinch of salt and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until onion has softened.


Increase heat to high. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until pasta is tender. Season with sea salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and drizzle with olive oil.


* Yes, I suppose you can subsitute canned chickpeas here but why? The flavor and texture of dried chickpeas is so superior. Cooking these up couldn’t be simpler. Here is the “no time, no stress” plan: soak overnight, wake up and while still in jammies, cook ‘em up. 45 minutes is all it takes and these can cook while you are brushing your teeth, eating breakfast and getting dressed. Done and done.