First, I am in love with this dish. It’s like pasta e ceci, creamy mac and cheese, and chana masala had a baby. Yeah, you read that right. I was giving off some real mad scientist vibes the night I dreamed this up. It calls for fenugreek, which reader
was just reminding me last week would be a great edition to my garden this year in the comments. Fresh fenugreek is amazing but can be a little bitter if you aren’t ready for it but ground fenugreek is made from the seeds and almost has a maple syrup quality to it on top of is herbaceous taste. It adds a depth to this recipe and really rounds out the flavor but if that’s the ingredient that’s stopping you from making this, just sub in ½ teaspoon of ground coriander or more cumin instead. No excuses, ok?Secondly, it’s dead easy. You make it all in one pot and it truly takes less than 40 minutes even if you’re terrible at chopping things. I served it up with a side of braised greens from Hungry as Hell but it would also be great served with a simple slaw or a side of roasted broccoli. This makes a big pot, so leftovers are basically guaranteed. If you’d rather have this be more of a soup, just add another cup or two of broth and adjust the spices to your taste. There’s no way you are going to mess this up, I promise.
Additionally, I did a lil test run of a new feature I want to offer you guys in the general yesterday: audio recipes! The idea is we cook everything together in real time and I chitchat with you about what you are seeing, why we are doing stuff, and what to look for to make each meal a success. I also may dropping some fun food history all while we cook. Who knows what I’ll say? Not me. But I thought this would be helpful that way you’ll get a lot more tips and tricks than I could ever include in a written recipe, and you don’t have a video to distract you from your own pot. I’d like to offer this at least twice a month to start if you guys are into it. Let me know what you think in the comments! Lastly, if you made the enchilada beans from last week and ended up with leftovers, they make killer refried beans. Just puree whatever you have left, add a little broth and some cumin, and warm those fuckers up. You will be delighted. I know I was.
Pasta e Ceci with a Tomato Coconut Gravy
Makes enough for 4-6 people
active cooking time: 20 minutes
total cooking time 30 minutes
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