Chickpea & Cavatelli Soup (recipe #1, January)
So. I wasn't super adventurous this first month of recipe-trying. This was an pretty simple one, which I found on The Splendid Table website. But I wanted to get the ball rolling as it is mid-January and I'm not fluent in Spanish or anything yet.
I liked this soup a lot, and it was even better the next day. The kids liked it too, although Nora outright refused to try a bean. To even put it on her tongue. So she worked around them. But I've recommitted lately to simply making a a meal for dinner and that's that. You don't get anything else, even if you are seven and very hungry and "do NOT LIKE BEANS! You KNOW I don't like them!" When Adriana was born I let things slip a bit, choosing to make life easier by not pushing the boundaries much as far as food was concerned. But I love food, and it's time to start experimenting again. Nora, you had it easy this month, but watch out.
- 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 8 oz. cavatelli
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Add celery, carrot, onion, and rosemary and cook until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add stock and chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove half of chickpeas and purée until smooth; return chickpeas to pan. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parsley and Parmigiano sprinkled on top.