Note: During this time, I am trying to post more regularly in the hopes that in my small way, I can help people cope with a crisis. As I usually do – through food. I am trying to fulfill the requests for pantry-focused meals that are wholesome to the mind and the body. Wishing everyone all the very best from NYC!
I’ve been thinking, cooped up in my apartment, what I can do to contribute during this time of change and isolation, in addition to staying home. Like so many, I am working full time from home and parenting full time from home. A lot of friends have expressed concern about not knowing what to cook or how to cook. That’s one thing I can do (cook!), so I will post what I am making, in the hopes that it will help some of you to find feeding yourself or your family that much less stressful. I am trying to make easy things that feel nourishing. I know that availability is different in different parts of the country. And I know that there are so many out there who cannot get access to food or are concerned about how they will pay for it. I encourage everyone who can to think of those who are facing these even more enormous obstacles and to give locally to your food bank or to Feeding America, which is mounting a COVID-19 response.
This little soup/stew is so simple to throw together, and made from pantry staples. Mr. English and I went to Sicily on our honeymoon and stayed at a gorgeous olive oil farm just by Agrigento. It was October, so they were harvesting olives all around us. At night, they had communal dinners in a cool, stone-walled farmhouse. They served us this chickpea and shell pasta dish with rosemary from huge vats, and came around with seconds. Another place. Another time. But I remember it for a moment when I eat this. It is a generous dish that knows what you want – comfort, warmth, kindness – and gives it to you unreservedly.
Something to note: depending on how much liquid you add, this can be a soup or a stew. The quantities below give you a soup. Use 2-3 total cups of stock and water to get a stew. And 1-2 cups to get a pasta dish – add some cold water at the end to make it extra voluptuous.
Chickpea and Rosemary Soup with Pasta and Olive Oil
serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 small onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth, or water)
¼ pound small pasta, like small shells, elbows, ditalini, etc.
Parmesan cheese (optional), for garnish
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a medium stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sauté 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the rosemary and stir in the hot pot until fragrant – a few seconds. Add the chickpeas and the stock, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to bubble uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until everything is very tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. I like to cook my pasta separately so I can store leftovers separately (if you store them together in the fridge, the pasta will suck up all the liquid in the soup).
To bring it all together, stir the pasta into the soup and top with a fresh glug of olive oil and some Parmesan cheese.
