In any case, last night I was hardcore in the mood for fried chickpeas. Have you had this delicious awesomeness before? You take a can of chickpeas, rinse, drain and dry - then put a little cooking spray in a pan and fry them up for 7-8 minutes with some salt and pepper! They get this exquisite crunch on the outside and remain soft on the inside. So tasty. And since Adam had a hockey game last night, I decided to incorporate it into a pasta dish so he could have his carbs and I could have my fried chick peas.
As I mentioned before, I am a fan of turkey bacon. Now bacophiles be not alarmed, I like the "real stuff" too but on a more limited basis. It is sort of how I used to not like whole wheat pasta and now I prefer it to "regular" pasta. What started out as an endeavor to be more healthy turned into an actual preference. Go figure. In any case I like to chop up a slice or two of turkey bacon to add a little panache to a dish that is missing something. It adds that delicious bacon-y flavor with less of the fat and grease. Delish!
Spaghetti with Fried Cecis, Crumbled Turkey Bacon and Sage
1 can of cecis (chickpeas), drained, rinsed and dried
Olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
3 slices turkey bacon
1 package of whole wheat spaghetti
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
2 minced garlic
Sherry vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand)
Get your bacon going in a pan over medium high heat and cook, turning every other minute or so for 6 or 7 minutes (or until quite crisp)
Remove and drain on paper towels. Crumble when cooled.
(looks like "real" bacon, right?)
Cook the spaghetti per the instructions. While that is boiling away, heat a tbsp of olive oil (or you can use cooking spray) in your bacon pan over medium high heat. Add the cecis and fry, stirring every now and then so they don't stick, about 7-8 , minutes or until they start to pop. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and a little garlic powder on to taste.
Mmmm these are such a great snack on their own but equally at home in this dish!
Once the cecis are slightly browned and crisp, remove from heat.
Add a minced clove or two of garlic to the pan and cook for a minute or until fragrant. Immediately add a splash of the vinegar and remove from heat, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (that's where all the flavor is!). Let cook down for a minute or so and remove from heat.
Toss cecis, bacon and sage with the cooked pasta. Pour the liquid in the pan over the pasta and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
1 comment:
I just had fried chickpeas for the first time on Sunday!!! These particular ones didn't have much flavor (I didn't make them) but I could NOT stop eating them.
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