Last night I made a variation of the Penne with Chickpeas and Rosemary (page 210) with neither chickpeas nor rosemary. I had neither one, so I opened up a can of soy beans and minced up some fresh parsley. The parsley was a suggested variation; the soy beans are mild enough to be able to stand in for chickpeas, I figured. (I know, I know, I upturned the whole recipe's title; except the penne part – though, interestingly, “rotini” is what appears in the recipe description itself. Well, I had whole wheat penne. In fact, I now realize I used tomatoes that're more diced than crushed. So, wow, we're different, aren't we?)
Still, I'm going to tell you all about it because what gives this simple dish its kick is the garlic + herb; sauteeing them together in olive oil unlocked a truly wonderful aroma. The longer I let it simmer, the more these base flavors developed with the tomatoes and beans. Salt, stir, simmer. It'll just get better.
So while you've got this on the stove, go do something, like...wait impatiently for the premiere of The Venture Brothers Season 4, and by the time you're practically dancing in anticipation because there's just a few seconds left, your sauce will be ready to be poured over some pasta. Between the glory that is my favorite show and the delight that is this otherwise simple pasta dish, I ended up polishing off the whole batch. Whole thing, gone. Totally worth it.
The recipe is also marked with an F for “fast,” so it's perfect for a super quick throw-together after a long day.
- - Ulpia - -
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Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.
ReplyDeleteTotally; this is ridiculously simple, which was perfect, since I felt too tired to cook but decided to flip through the book anyway. This was infinitely tastier than my other plan: open a can of beans and eat.
ReplyDeleteNice substitutions! Sounds d-lish.
ReplyDelete