Pasta e ceci

Our main goal is to provide recipes and explanations, especially for young people and beginners. Pasta e ceci is a simple, healthy and inexpensive dish that can be easily prepared vegetarian or vegan and is ab-so-lute-ly delicious. Who should not know it yet: Check it out!

Most recipes include pancetta, which is pork belly. For us, this pasta does not have to include any meat or animal ingredient at all. If you want to try the traditional version, add coarsely diced or very finely chopped pancetta in the first step, to your preference.

The chickpeas are from the can, which is fine with this product. You also need onion, carrot, celery, garlic, fresh rosemary and (optionally) sage leaves. The optimal pasta is Ditali or the even smaller Ditalini, small round and short tubes typically used for soups. But, of course, it also works with another small shape of pasta.

Onion and carrot are peeled and diced. The celery only needs to be washed and the stalk and leaves removed, then this vegetable can also be finely diced. Garlic is finely chopped, rosemary needles and sage just coarsely.

All this is put in a pot with a little olive oil and the temperature is set to medium heat, with the lid on. The vegetables and herbs should cook gently for about 10 – 15 minutes and develop flavors without taking color. Stir a little every 4 – 5 minutes.

With this a typical Italian base is created. Wonderful even without pancetta.

Now the drained chickpeas and broth are added. Classically, chicken broth is used, but of course you can also go for vegetable broth and cook a vegan dish.

This is now left to simmer gently for another 20 minutes over medium heat, again with the lid on. Then remove about half of the chickpeas and vegetables from the pot. A slotted spoon is very suitable for this.

The broth with the remaining chickpeas and vegetables is pureed, the easiest way to do this is with a hand blender. Otherwise, you would have to carefully put everything in a blender, puree and then pour back into the pot. Now everything is combined again and seasoned with salt and pepper from the mill.

The pasta is added to this mixture and cooked in it on now medium-high heat. This takes a little longer than indicated on the package, so you have to taste from time to time how far the pasta is cooked. With us it was this time 14 minutes instead of the indicated 11. It is essential to stir regularly, otherwise the dish will burn.

It may be necessary to add a little water at this point. Then it is best to use hot water so that the cooking process is not interrupted.

Now you may also add some Parmigiano Reggiano and/or fresh herbs to taste, we prefer to use basil or alternatively parsley.

Then everything is mixed and kept gently warm until serving:

Pure happiness on the spoon. A fantastic dish.

Enjoy.

And may the taste be with you.

Ingredients ( for 2 people):

1 onion

1 carrot

1 stick of celery

1 clove of garlic

1 sprig of rosemary

3 – 4 sage leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can of chickpeas (400 g)

500 ml chicken or vegetable broth

100 g Ditali or Ditalini (or other small pasta)

Salt and pepper

Optional:

Basil or parsley leaves

Parmigiano Reggiano