Today we are wrapping up the two-month Real Recipe Wednesday series here on My Bella Vita. In case you missed them, you can check out some great recipes like Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino, Bucatini all’ Amatriciana, Orecchiette con Pelati e Ricotta and Merluzzo e Pomodorini, as well as a few regional favorites, like Sicilian Mollica and Napoletano Sfogliatella.
Last week I posted a recipe for homemade lagane pasta and promised to follow up this week with the Calabrian classic Lagane e Ceci, or ribbon pasta with chickpeas.
There are about as many varieties to this dish as there are Calabrians in Calabria and many recipes call for dried chickpeas (which you have to soak overnight prior to cooking.) We are much too last-minute for that, so our recipe uses canned chickpeas, garlic and red pepper and can be made in less than 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
>> One can chickpeas
>> Olive oil
>> Garlic
>> Crushed red pepper
Directions:
1. Empty one can of chickpeas (with the broth) into a small pot.
2. Add about a tablespoon of good olive oil, a clove of garlic and crushed red pepper.
3. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add a small amount of water, as needed to create a broth and thoroughly heat the chickpeas.
5. Remove the garlic.
6. Serve with crushed red pepper.
Buon Appetito!
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So easy! I’m not going to lie.. I just used up my last can of ceci because I had a craving for hummus.
Oops, better refill your stash!
This is interesting. I have always made ‘pasta ceci’, or beans and macaroni, as some call it, with red sauce. I will try this, as it looks wonderful; with the homemade pasta it will probably be exquisite!
Be sure to let me know what you think of this version!
My friends parents are from Calabria. We were there twice (2001 and 2007) and have very much enjoyed the food, culture, and antiquity. We especially remember how they remembered it from their years in Calabria, growing up, until they came to the USA. So, I can’t wait to send their families this article and recipe.
Brava Bellavita!!!