I came across a recipe for this dish in The New York Times yesterday and thought I HAD to try it! I did a quick slacker version, however, and it turned out to be very tasty indeed!

Pasta e Ceci

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 TBS dried rosemary
• 1 tsp red-pepper flakes
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 28-ounce diced whole tomatoes
• 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base)
• 2 cups tubular pasta like elicoidali or penne or ditalini
• 1 500-gram package frozen kale

Directions:

Heat in a large saucepan…

• 1/3 cup olive oil

While the oil is heating, pulse the following in a food processor until diced very small…

• 2 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 TBS dried rosemary
• 1 tsp red-pepper flakes

Once the oil shimmers, add the contents of the food processor to the pan and saute for six minutes. Season with…

• sea salt and black pepper

Stir into the pan…

• 1 28-ounce can diced whole tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

…and use a spatula to break up the chunks of tomato and to mash half of the chickpeas to thicken the sauce.

Add…

• 2 TBS Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base

…and mix well.

Add…

• 6 cups boiling water
• 2 cups tubular pasta like elicoidali or penne or ditalini

Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (until pasta is done to your preference). Stir frequently so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If you need more liquid, add another cup of boiling water.

When the pasta is done, stir in…

• 1 500-gram package frozen kale

Simmer until the kale is warmed through.

Serve with freshly baked focaccia!

And the song of the day is George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” because I’ve been listening to a jazz version of it on a Spotify playlist of late and, okay, sure, because I’m a sucker for music from the early 1980s…