Ceci Ragu Recipes

PASTA E CECI (PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and rosemary, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic softens and turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook until tomato paste is fragrant and turns dark brick red, about 1 minute.
• Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer, and cook until wine has emulsified with olive oil and mixture is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
• If using cooked dry chickpeas: Stir in 1 cup (170g) chickpeas and 1 cup (240ml) chickpea cooking liquid. Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash chickpeas against the sides and bottom of the pot until completely broken down. Stir in the rest of the chickpeas and remaining 3 cups (710ml) cooking liquid (supplementing with stock or water as needed to reach 3 cups), and black pepper. Season with salt to taste. Proceed to Step 4. If using canned chickpeas: Remove Dutch oven from heat; remove and discard rosemary sprig. Add 1 cup (170g) chickpeas and 1 cup (240ml) stock, and using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you do not have a handheld immersion blender, transfer mixture to blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour mixture back into Dutch oven.) Stir in remaining 2 cups (340ml) of chickpeas, 3 cups (710ml) stock, and black pepper. Season with salt to taste.
• Bring chickpea mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is just shy of al dente (1 to 2 minutes less than the package directs, as the pasta will continue to cook off-heat), and liquid is reduced to a consistency that falls between soupy and saucy. Adjust consistency as needed with additional water, stock, or chickpea cooking liquid, keeping in mind that liquid will tighten up as it cools due to starch from the chickpeas.
• Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season with salt to taste. Divide between individual serving bowls (for the dried chickpea version, look out for the garlic cloves and rosemary sprig; remove and discard them), and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Serve, passing extra grated cheese at the table.

PASTA E CECI (ITALIAN PASTA AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red-pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the tomatoes and the chickpeas, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or spatula and smashing about 1/2 cup of the beans.
• Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. The water will mostly be absorbed by the pasta, but if you prefer it brothier, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup water and simmer until warmed through, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the escarole and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

CECI RAGU

Steps:

• combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a large saucepan (2 qt minimum).
• bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• reduce ragu to desired consistence.
• season with salt and pepper to taste.
• serve with brown rice or pasta.

CHICKEN WITH CHICKPEA AND TOMATO RAGU

Steps:

• Toss the chicken breasts with the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and heat an additional 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic and fennel to the hot pan. Season with salt and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are beginning to soften and are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano and garlic powder to the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the vegetables are translucent and beginning to brown slightly, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the vinegar. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush the tomatoes into medium-sized pieces. Simmer for 10 minutes while you start the chicken.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and heat an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the chicken is evenly browned on both sides, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully ladle the tomato mixture over and around the chicken, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and butter and cook to heat through, 2 more minutes. Did you taste it? Season with additional salt, garlic powder or garlic salt if needed. Stir in the basil and serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

CHICKPEA PASTA WITH MOROCCAN BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, garlic, onion and bell pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the raisins, tomato paste, ras el hanout, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; cook until the oil turns red, about 1 minute.
• Add the pasta to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water; add more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro and mint. Divide the pasta among bowls.

TUCCI RAGù

Steps:

• In a stew pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Sear stewing beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot, set aside in a bowl.
• Add spareribs to pot and sear until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove ribs and set aside in bowl with stewing beef. (If your pot is big enough to hold all the meat in a single layer, it may be cooked at the same time.)
• Stir onions and garlic into pot. Reduce heat to low and cook until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping bottom of the pot clean. Add tomato paste to pot. Pour 1/2 cup warm water into tomato paste can to loosen any residual paste and then pour into pot. Cook to warm the paste through, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes along with additional 1 cup warm water. Stir in basil and oregano. Cover with lid slightly askew and simmer about 30 minutes.
• Return meat to pot, along with any juices that accumulated in bowl. Cover with lid slightly askew and simmer, stirring frequently, until meat is very tender and tomatoes are cooked, about 2 hours. Warm water may be added to sauce, in 1/2-cup portions, if sauce becomes too thick.

VEGETABLE AND CHICKPEA RAGOUT

Steps:

• Simmer tomatoes, chickpeas, Onion and Garlic Mix, Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper Mix, salt, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes and ½ cup water in a medium pot until liquid reduces by half, about 20 minutes. Add artichokes, peas and olives; cook 10 minutes more.
• Quick tip:
• While cooking, make the filling for the shepherd's pie. If not eating immediately, pour into an airtight container and freeze. Otherwise, toss with penne and basil and serve.
• To reheat:
• Microwave on high 2 minutes; stir; microwave 2 minutes more. Mix with penne and basil.