CECI a la Pignata - Chickpeas and Nostalgia

 

As a child, I remember keeping company with my grandmother who had a fireplace. The fire was always on for the winter and with coals and ashes she cooked potatoes, chestnuts and onions. She also had a pignata (terracotta pot) where she cooked the legumes (ceci, fagioli, etc.).

Pignata

Sitting on a small chair, I used to watch the crackling of the fire. She would give me a dish of ceci and then she would sit and as we ate she would tell me about her youth.
What flavor and today, what nostalgia.

Dry chickpeas or ceci
A cup of cooked chickpeas has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat!
A great substitute for meat.

Chickpeas with Red Onion and Olive Oil

Chickpeas (ceci) simmering

Ingredients

1 lb. bag of dry chickpeas

Water

DON'T ADD SALT TO THE WATER

Procedure

In a large pot place the washed chickpeas, add water (3 times the amount of the chickpeas),  bring to a boil and then cover and simmer gently.  About 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Chickpeas with tomatoes

Chickpeas and Red Onion

Once the chickpeas are tender, add a chopped red onion, 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

This dish warms my heart and will surely warm yours.

GREAT BIG FLAVORS FROM SUMMER GRILLING

We enjoy the lazy days of summer by grilling quality vegetables and fish.

Charred Vegetable Salad

Grilled Fresh Sardines (Sarde)

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Sardines: Why they are good for you

ARUGULA SALAD FROM OUR GARDEN - Insalata di Arugula dal Nostro Orto

As you can see from the photo, my husband picked a lot of arugula so that it wouldn't go to waste.   As I understand it, if the arugula is not picked on a regular basis, it flowers and  creates seeds. Incidentally, if arugula is allowed to flower, the seeds are picked and saved to be used again.   So he picked it all and reseeded again for another crop.   Do you know that arugula survives under snow?  Actually in November and December arugula is at its best.  I went ahead and removed all the tiny leaves and discarded the rest.  Tonight I made a delicious arugula salad. 

Ingredients:  Arugula, sliced cucumbers (also from the garden), red onion, hard boiled egg, extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice, salt and crushed black pepper.

Pronto a mangiare!