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Julius Roberts‘ ‘Pasta E Ceci‘ inspired Stanley Tucci to create his own version of this dish perfect for the comfort food season. As an adaptation of the rural English chef, this nourishing dish brings together pasta and chickpeas in a comforting autumnal meal, which he illustrates through a new Instagram video tutorial.
In the clip, the renowned actor explains that he found the recipe in Julius Roberts’ cookbook, “The Farm Table”. ‘He’s a chef from here in England,’ says Tucci. ‘I think it’s amazing.
The ‘pasta e ceci’ recipe
Tucci starts by heating the olive oil in a frying pan and adding chopped garlic and a touch of chilli for heat. He then adds a sprig of rosemary and a couple of bay leaves, infusing the oil with aromatic depth. After a few minutes, add a chopped onion, leek and carrot and let the vegetables sauté until soft.
Once the vegetables are tender, add a spoonful of tomato puree, a tin of plum tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Then add a can of undrained chickpeas and simmer for about 15 minutes. Tucci then purees a second can of chickpeas and adds it to the sauce. ‘That gives it a really nice thickness,’ he explains.
He then reserves some of the sauce to prevent the pasta from absorbing too much liquid and then adds cooked pasta. For the finishing touch, Stanley pours some of the reserved sauce over the plated pasta and drizzles it with a little olive oil.
