Table for Two - Pantry Pasta with Garbanzo Beans

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Each year we have a rain that truly marks the end of summer. It's usually a prolonged downpour that drenches as it "droppeth.....upon the place beneath." The rain, in deed and fact, is more biblical than Shakespearean, and gentle, I assure you, it is not. Errant blooms that clung to summer are beaten to the ground as they fall victim to the relentless tattoo of fall rain, but worse still is what the arrival of damp does to curly heads and running shoes. Fortunately, we are a hardy lot and while we may look soggy and unkept, the rain invigorates and renews a tired landscape from which color had begun to fade. With the rain comes the ancient need for fire and the valley, which a week ago smelled of fires gone amok, now is fragrant with the perfume of mesquite that is used to fuel stoves and fireplaces. It was a good day to read and set a spell and enjoy the first warming fire of the year. I was so lost in the comfort of the fire and the steady tattoo of rain beating on the roof, that I left myself no time to prepare the dinner I had planned. I fell back of this quick pasta recipe from Better Homes and Gardens magazine and enjoyed it enough to pass it onto you. This meatless dish is truly a pantry pasta that you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. Here is how its made.

Pantry Pasta with Garbanzo Beans...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 large tomatoes)
1 (14.5-oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained, divided use
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces dried whole wheat linguine, fettuccine, or rigatoni
1/3 cup chopped tomato (1 small)
1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Heat oil until it shimmers, Place onion, garlic, cumin, and crushed red pepper in a medium saucepan and cook in hot oil about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chopped tomatoes, half of garbanzo beans, salt, and black pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until mixture is boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Carefully transfer tomato mixture to a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Return all to saucepan. Stir in remaining garbanzo beans. Cook and stir over low heat until sauce is heated through.
2) Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. To serve, toss cooked pasta with sauce. Divide mixture between two serving plates. Top with 1/3 cup chopped tomato and the feta cheese. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. If desired, garnish with rosemary sprigs. Yield: 2 servings.

                    

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