Chickpea Pasta
Ingredients
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 can (30 ounces) chickpeas
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of sliced or chopped garlic?(optional)
Salt and black pepper
1 pound small pasta, such as orecchiette, penne, or elbow macaroni
Directions
1. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse them for a minute. Heat a small, deep-sided pot over low heat and add the olive oil. If using garlic, add it when the oil begins to shimmer and cook it over very low heat until it can be easily broken apart with a wooden spoon.
2. Add chickpeas, a pinch of salt, and water to cover by 1 inch.
3. Cook the beans for 30 to 45 minutes, adding small pours of water as the liquid cooks away. Taste 5 beans when you think they're done. If any bean is not totally velvety, let them go on cooking. When 5 taste completely creamy, bring the heat down ?to the lowest possible setting and top the beans with a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
4. Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water. Just before you drain it, remove a small glass of pasta water and stir a quarter of it into your pot of chickpeas. The liquid should become integrated fairly quickly. Combine the pasta and chickpea sauce in a big bowl and mix well. If the mixture seems dry, or as though the chickpeas are separate from the pasta instead of completely devoted to it, add a little more of the starchy pasta water to the bowl and mix well.
Extra: Read the full article, Comfort, Redefined, for more recipes and food tips.
