Adapted from www.washingtonpost.com
1 t. sea salt, plus more in the cooking water
1 1/2 c. celery, cut on the diagonal 1/4-inch wide (first cut vertically if the ribs are especially wide)
8 oz. dried pasta, preferably penne or another short, tubular shape
1/4 c. plus 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed, then chopped
2 dried arbol chili peppers, seeded and broken into small pieces (or red pepper flakes), optional
1 1/2 c. cooked or canned no-salt-added chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse)
1/4 c. packed, coarsely chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt, then add the celery; cook/blanch for 1 or 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the celery to a colander, and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Drain.
Once the water in the pot returns to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. When the pasta is about 5 minutes from being al dente, heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic (to taste) and dried arbol peppers or red pepper flakes, if using; cook, stirring every minute or so, until the garlic is almost golden and the peppers are starting to brown. Stir in the blanched celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; it should be tender yet retain a little resistance. Stir in the chickpeas, season with the 1 teaspoon of salt and with black pepper to taste, and warm through.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of its cooking water. Add the pasta, the parsley and a few tablespoons of the cooking water to the pan, stirring to incorporate the ingredients and dislodge any bits of garlic or peppers stuck to the bottom of the pan. If the mixture seems dry, add more of the reserved cooking water. Ladle the mixture into individual wide, shallow bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil over each portion.
Leave a Reply