Fresh Pasta with Chickpeas and Arugula - Pasta Fresca con Ceci e Rucola

Keeping with the chickpeas theme, here is an ideal recipe to eat light without sacrificing the palate.  In fact, the home-made pasta with chickpeas and arugula constitutes a complete dish that can substitute meat or eggs, without making cholesterol, with a long satiating effect.

Sagne with Chickpeas and Arugula

Ingredients

1 lb. home-made pasta (alternate 1/2 lb. DeCecco - Sagnette Abruzzesi)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (2 - 15 oz. cans chickpeas, with liquid)
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 carrot. diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, flattened with knife blade

1 small bunch of arugula, trimmed

2 leaves of radicchio, shredded

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a pot add the celery, carrot and chickpeas.  Cover with water and cook for 1 1/2 hrs.

Skip this step, if using canned chickpeas.

Cooked chickpeas (ceci)

Cook the pasta and add to chickpeas.  Add salt and pepper. 

Put the olive oil and the onion and garlic in a heavy pan over medium heat.  Saute' the onion and garlic until onion and garlic become soft.  Add the arugula and radicchio and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.  Add cooked vegetables to the chickpea soup and mix well.  Add freshly grated Parmigiano and serve.

You may also like:

Ceci all Pignata

Escarole and Beans

Baked Beans and Swiss Chard

Roasted Chickpeas - A Nutritious Snack for Children and Adults

Chickpeas - Ceci - Garbanzos

 

As a child in Italy, the long winter evenings were spent around a large fireplace (only method of keeping warm) with family and friends.  In front of the crackling logs we would munch on dried fruit, roasted chestnuts and chickpeas. 

There were two methods of roasting chickpeas:  

-- one utilizing sand and salt in a very large pot where the chickpeas would roast

    until turning white;

--the other utilizing a large pan with a little olive oil.   

Today, it's still our family snack choice.  We prefer the pan method as the chickpeas are crunchy but not hard, therefore kinder to the teeth.

All photos -  ©2012 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

Ingredients

1 lb. dry chickpeas (alternate 2 cans of cooked beans).*

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Place the washed chickpeas in a large pot.  Add water (3 times the amount of the chickpeas), and bring to a boil.   Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.  The chickpeas should not be not be fully cooked.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

*If canned chickpeas are used - Drain and rinse chickpeas under running water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and proceed as follows.

Place oil in a large cast iron skillet over the cooktop.  Spread chickpeas out.  Add salt and pepper and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are brown and crunchy.

Roasted chickpeas - Ceci arrostiti

According to the NY Times "US Children:Generation Snack", children are snacking on cookies, chips and other treats.

This snack satisfies children and adults snack cravings without the guilt.  Enjoy!

You may also like:

Ceci alla Pignata

Chestnuts are not just for Roasting

Baked Beans with Swiss Chard - Fagioli e Bietola al Forno

Beans and Swiss chard just married...and what a perfect union.  The dark-green Swiss chard loaded with vitamins and minerals united with healthy beans creates a nutrition powerhouse.  The small amount of ham gives this casserole rich flavor without adding much fat.

Baked beans with Swiss chard

Images: ©2012 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch of Swiss chard, upper portion of stems removed and leaves chopped

1 cup lean ham (optional)

1 can chopped tomatoes

3 cups of cooked beans.    I prefer Great Northern beans. 

                                                 Use 3 small cans of your favorite beans.

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Cooking beans

Preheat the oven at 375*.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. 

Add the chard, ham and 1/4 cup of water and cook until chard is wilted.  Add the tomatoes and their juice and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the cooked beans and their water, parsley and thyme and simmer for few more minutes.

Adjust salt and pepper.  Transfer the vegetables into a large baking dish.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes.  Then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

This casserole is delicious and satisfying even without the meat.



You may also like:

Swiss chard and potatoes

Escarole and beans

Cranberry or Borlotti beans