On a recent Wegmans trip, I grabbed some of their store-brand Organic Gluten Free Brown Rice Fusilli Pasta on a whim:
Oddly enough, it is made in Romania, which is not somewhere I typically associate with pasta. But much to my surprise, this stuff is easily the best gluten-free pasta I've tried. The texture is very good, similar to wheat pasta and not at all mealy, which is the primary downfall of pretty much every other gluten-free pasta I've tasted (and there have been many). And the taste isn't bad either. So I'm happy to report that I may finally have found a gluten-free pasta that I can live with relatively happily. You all may not care that much, but it's a substantial improvement in my life.
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And here is something I made with the Wegmans pasta. (I've also made two batches of the Pasta with Tuna and Pine Nuts, among other things.) It was only about six months ago that I posted another pasta with chickpeas, but I think this one is a substantial improvement, much more flavorful and still clocking in around 30 minutes, so a good weeknight meal. We had a bit of a chill in the air today, and Mom said it's a good fall dish, with the soup-y overtones and a bit of spice to warm you up from the inside.
Pasta with Chickpeas 2.0
Adapted from Andy Baraghani via Bon Appetit (Oct. 2019)
Time: 30 minutes
The original recipe called for a cup of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand, but I thought the fire-roasted tomatoes would go well and amp up the flavor, which they did. The original recipe also has you saute everything with a sprig of rosemary, which I did, but I don't think it added much and I doubt most of you have fresh rosemary on hand, so I've left it out here. If you want some extra insurance against the cheese clumping up when you stir it into the hot pasta in step 6, combine the cheese with ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch first.
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
40 grams (3 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups (950 grams) boiling water
227 grams/8 ounces fusilli or other short pasta
28 grams/1 ounce (¼ cup) grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving (see note)
1 tablespoon minced parsley, preferably Italian flat-leaf
freshly ground black pepper
1. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
2. In a small bowl, zap the drained chickpeas in the microwave on high power until warm, about 1 minute. (You can skip this step if you don’t have a microwave oven.)
3 Heat the oil in a large saucier or saucepan, or a pasta pot, over medium heat. Stir in the shallot or onion, and season with a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 2–3 minutes for shallot and 5–6 minutes for onion. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the chickpeas and tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened some, about 6–7 minutes.
5. Stir in the water, pasta, and 1 teaspoon salt, and turn the heat up a notch or two. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a lively simmer, until the pasta is al dente, probably about 8–10 minutes depending on the shape of your pasta (check the package directions).
6. Remove from the heat, and stir in the grated cheese (see note) and parsley. Taste for seasoning. Ladle into pasta bowls. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of grated cheese, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.
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