Wednesday 4 September 2013

Thursday Night Dinner. Chorizo & Chickpea Pasta.

I really enjoy having people over for dinner. Especially dinner followed by some board games... and drinks. Can't forget the drinks.



This past Thursday, I decided to host a mini dinner party. I had Leslie, Curtis and Courtney over for a delicious pasta dinner. I decided to go with a recipe I found in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. It's a Chorizo and Chickpea Pasta, and can I just say... it's DELICIOUS. It's also super simple to make. It will for sure be something that I make again, and soon.

Here's what you'll need:

  •  2 small shallots, chopped
  • ¾ lb. fresh Mexican chorizo or hot Italian sausage, casings removed 
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil 
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 12 oz. small dried pasta (I used one of my favorites, Orecchiette)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
  • Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
 
 And here's how to do it:
 
First, start by heating the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 3 minutes until they brown slightly. Don't burn them though. There is a difference. Keep your eye on it, because if you turn around and stop paying attention, the shallots will go from browning slightly to "SH*T I just burnt my shallots" very quickly. Trust me. I've been there.
 

 





Alright, add the Italian sausage, Chorizo, or whatever sausage you fancy... (I used Italian Sausage). While cooking, break up with a spoon (it's not you spoon.. it's me) until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. 


Add in the tomato paste and the red pepper flakes, cooking until the paste darkens. About a minute or so. 



Time to add the broth/stock. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sauce is thickened. About 15-20minutes. Give it some love once in a while... aka a good stir.



Now add those chickpeas and cook until heated through... only takes a couple minutes. . Side note: I am not a huge chickpea fan. They are good, don't get me wrong, but I find that too many chickpeas is overwhelming. So feel free to adjust the sausage to chickpea ratio. I know I will.


Meanwhile, cook the pasta in some salted water (adds flavor) stirring occasionally, until al dente (Italian for "DON'T OVERCOOK THE PASTA"). Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.


Okay,  add the cooked pasta and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce. Cook, stirring and adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 3 minutes.


It will look like this and you will want to eat all of it...

Serve pasta topped with parsley and an excessive amount of Parmesan cheese...because there is no such thing as too much cheese...and wine.

 

 
mmm... carbs.



 





Enjoy!!

 

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