TUESDAY'S LUNCH SPECIAL IS from Tina Marie in Dallas, Texas
So, you've got no money, but some time on your hands? Money, schmoney! Here's a peasant dish from central Italy that's super-easy to make and one of the most inexpensive dishes around. A one-pound package of dried chickpeas at the grocery store is less than a buck, and this recipe serves six people, using only half the package. Stick the chickpeas in a bowl and let 'em do their soakin' thing overnight - it's no skin off your butt, right? Besides, what else have you got to do? And pasta is always cheap, of course. This soup is yummy and good for you, and if you have unemployed vegetarian friends, you can finally invite them over for lunch. This soup cooking on the stove makes your apartment smell all homey, and you can play your "Eh, Paisano!" CD and make your neighbors all jealous that you're havin' a great big swinging Italian feast.
-Tina Marie
Pasta and Chickpea Soup (Pasta è Ceci)
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 cup ditalini, or other small soup pasta
Parmesan cheese
Accompaniment: crusty bread, and a cheap merlot
Directions:
1. Rinse and drain chickpeas.
2. In a large pot, bring chickpeas and water to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook chickpeas for one hour, making sure
that chickpeas are covered by at least two inches of water, adding water as
needed.
4. Rinse and drain chickpeas.
5. Return chickpeas to pot with enough water to cover by two inches.
6. Add olive oil, garlic, salt, and bay leaf.
7. Cook until chickpeas are tender, about one hour, adding water as needed.
8. Remove the bay leaf.
9. Remove half of the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid from the
pot, and purée in a food processor.
10. Return the puréed chickpeas to the pot and stir well.
11. Add 1 to 2 cups of water.
12. Add rosemary.
13. Add pasta and cook until pasta is done, about 20 minutes or so. The
consistency of the soup should be thick, but still soupy. If the soup
becomes too thick at any given point, just stir in a little water, 1/4 cup
at a time until soup is of desired consistency.
14. Sprinkle each serving with lots of Parmesan cheese, and serve with
crusty bread.
Makes about 6 servings. Buon Appetito!
_____________________________________________
Do you have a recipe? Send it on over.
Please include the following in your email:
1. The name of your recipe.
2. Where you are from.
3. Why you like it.