Pasta e ceci

This is one of my new favorite dishes – a one pot meal with both pasta and chickpeas, featuring a delicious tomato-based broth. There are so many flavors working together – pancetta, rosemary, garlic, chili flakes, and a “secret ingredient” addition of anchovy paste that adds the perfect extra dimension.

It’s already healthy, I think, but add some chopped kale if you’d like – it makes the dish more attractive, too!

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2 oz pancetta
2 small carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic, put through press
1 tsp chopped rosemary
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp anchovy paste
Chili flakes (optional)
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
2 cans chickpeas
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups small pasta
1 bunch kale (optional)

Finely chop pancetta, carrot, and onion.

Saute pancetta in a large pot with a little bit of olive oil, until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and pour off fat. Add back ~1 tbsp of the fat to saute carrot and onion slowly until softened.

Add garlic, rosemary, tomato and anchovy paste, chili flakes to taste (I used a good sized pinch), and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant, adding a little more olive oil or fat if needed. Return the pancetta.

Remove canned tomatoes from juice and chop coarsely, then add chopped tomatoes and their juice along with chickpeas and their liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for at least 10 minutes. If possible, leave to simmer very slowly for up to an hour to enable the chickpeas to absorb the flavors.

Add water and, if including kale, chop into fine strips and add at this point. Then add pasta and cook another 8-10 minutes until tender.

Serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil.