Pasta, ceci e verza (Pasta, chickpeas and cabbage) - Testing

https://www.latartemaison.it/2026/01/pasta-ceci-e-verza-la-cucina-di-casa/

4 servings

1 - A very interesting dish. I added what to look for from the cabbage (browning). It smelled really good toasting all those initial ingredients. I think 700mL is pretty conservative. It may be that my pots let more steam out than the author's; I've had to add water but haven't really measured how much. I've made some substantial changes.

2 - Better and yet inconclusive. I am truly Canadian. I had the recipe all in metric, and got totally confused because I don't have an ingrained understanding of this measurement, so I made all sorts of little mistakes. And I converted most into my native country's mishmash of measurements to make it easier for myself, next time. There is also the issue of mixing everything together and the chickpeas falling to the bottom. I wonder, if I instead blendered more of the chickpeas, then combined this sauce to the pasta on its own, adding cooking water to get the right consistency, plated the pasta then spooned the unprocessed cooked cabbage and chickpeas on top, what would that do?

1L/4cups lightly salted water

2 cloves garlic, whole

1/4 cup olive oil

10 to 12 cabbage leaves (preferably the outer ones) (approx. 1lb/450g)

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup white wine

Parmesan rind

500 g cooked chickpeas

2 sprig of rosemary, minced

8oz/225 g dry spaghetti or linguini

Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

1. Bring lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Remove the central ribs from the cabbage and then cut them into strips.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for a couple of minutes, just until it starts to soften. 
4. Add the cabbage, season with the salt, and cook until the cabbage softens, starts to brown, and develops a fond at the bottom of your pot. You can let the cabbage continue to brown until caramelization just starts to happen to bring out extra sweetness and flavour.
5. When the cabbage has browned to your liking, add the wine and scrape up all that browned goodness from the bottom. Let it cook off until it's almost all gone.
6. With the back of your spoon crush the garlic just before adding the chickpeas and the rosemary. Stir all of this in and cook for a minute, to let the flavours blend, then pour in about 600mL of the boiling water and add the Parmesan rind. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, covered.
7. Remove two ladles full to a blender, favouring the chickpeas, and blend it until smooth before returning it to the pan. 
8. Once the sauce returns to a boil, add the pasta. Add more of the remaining hot water as needed to keep the pasta just covered while it cooks.
9. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and add more water to keep it all moving in the pan, like a sauce. It's done when the pasta is al dente.
10. Pour into plates and finish with a drizzle of good oil.