Pasta e Ceci Recipe

Rossella’s Cooking with Nonna

Pasta e ceci is a typical dish of the Campania , Puglia ( Salento ), Sicilian and Roman cuisine , of very ancient origin.

 

It is a poor first course , but very nutritious, because chickpeas – like all legumes – contain a significant amount of protein that complements the nutritive intake of pasta, typically rich in carbohydrates . 

The Roman version provides for the addition of anchovies.

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The chickpea or chick pea (Cicer arietinum) is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, and Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high in protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes and 7500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East.

 

 

Chickpea is a key ingredient in hummus, chana masala, and can be ground into flour and made into falafel. It is also used in salads, soups and stews. The chickpea is important in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and in 2016, India produced 64% of the world’s total chickpeas.

 

 

Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content (20% or higher of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fibre, folate, and certain dietary minerals, such as iron and phosphorus per 100 grams. Thiamin, vitamin B₆, magnesium, and zinc contents are moderate, providing 10–16% of the DV. Compared to reference levels established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, proteins in cooked and germinated chickpeas are rich in essential amino acids such as lysine, isoleucine, tryptophan, and total aromatic amino acids.^[25]

A 100 g serving of cooked chickpeas provides 164 kilocalories (690 kJ). Cooked chickpeas are 60% water, 27% carbohydrates, 9% protein and 3% fat (table). 75% of lipid content is unsaturated fatty acids for which linoleic acid comprises 43% of total fat.

*Click the picture below for the recipe