Sauce of Broccoli di Rape with Ceci (Chickpeas) and Bacon
Recipe information
Yield
for 1 pound of pasta
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Start cooking the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes before you begin the sauce if you are using dry pasta, or just after, if using fresh pasta.
Step 2
Pour 1/3 cup of the olive oil into a big skillet.
Step 3
Toast the peperoncino for 1/2 minute; stir in with the garlic and bacon or prosciutto. Cook for another 2 1/2 minutes or more, shaking the pan and stirring now and then, until the bacon has rendered its fat and is crisping.
Step 4
Pour the ceci into the skillet, and ladle in 2 cups of hot water from the pasta-cooking pot. Stir briefly, and bring the liquid to a boil.
Step 5
Dump the broccoli di rape pieces on top of the other ingredients, place a cover on the pan, and let the greens steam and wilt for a minute or so.
Step 6
Uncover, and stir in the broccoli di rape and another 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Lower the heat to maintain an active simmer, and cook the sauce, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beans and greens are quite tender. (You can start cooking dry pasta at this time too.)
Step 7
Uncover the pan and taste the sauce; add salt if you wish. If the sauce seems soupy, raise the heat and cook until there’s only a shallow layer of liquid around the vegetables. Keep the sauce barely simmering until the pasta is ready.
Step 8
When the pasta is done almost al dente, scoop it up and into the skillet to finish cooking. Add the parsley during the initial tossing; off the heat, toss in the cheese and the remaining olive oil just before serving.
Good With . . .
Step 9
A tubular pasta such as gomiti or ziti. But if you have made some fresh pasta, such as whole-wheat or egg pasta, the combination will be sublime.
