Pasta e Ceci-Warmth for a Cold Winter

By CarlaKay

Warmth and comfort in a bowl. Pasta and garbanzo beans come together in a wonderfully falvored broth.
Found in Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta cookbook.

Ingredients

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
• 3 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3/4 cup ditalini (thimble-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and herb sachet. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.

Transfer 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender and reserve. Add the ditalini to the soup pot, cover and bring the liquid back to a boil. Boil gently until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Puree the reserved bean mixture until smooth, then stir the puree into the boiling soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.