An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

by Tamar Adler

Chickpea pasta one 30-ounce can chickpeas 5 tablespoons olive oil optional: 2 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped. This tastes better with the garlic, I think, but I am so proud of the union of just the pasta, water, oil, and canned beans that I can’t say without reservation salt freshly ground black pepper 1 pound small shaped pasta such as orecchiette, penne, farfalle, elbow macaroni Drain the chickpeas through a colander and rinse them for a minute. Heat a small, deep pot and add the olive oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the garlic, if using. Cook over very low heat until soft. Add the chickpeas, a pinch of salt, and water to cover by 1 inch. Cook the beans for 30 to 45 minutes before you begin tasting them for doneness. Add small pours of water to the pot, keeping them short of what looks wet. This will leave you with a creamy sauce that sticks to your noodles. Taste five beans when you think they’re done. If any bean is not totally velvety, let them go on cooking. When five taste completely creamy, lower the heat to almost off and add freshly cracked black pepper. Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water. Just before you drain it, remove a small glass of pasta water and stir a quarter of it into your pot of chickpeas. If they are still on low heat, the liquid should become integrated fairly quickly. Combine the pasta and chickpea sauce in a big bowl and mix well. If it seems dry, or the chickpeas are separate from the pasta instead of completely devoted to it, add...