Going out on Valentine's Day is overrated. It's an amateur night with big crowds, limited overpriced menus, small portions, hurried service, and with food that is usually not that good for the cost. Save your money, go out on another night to celebrate your love when the restaurants are not so busy and they can pay more attention to your meal.
Those in the food industry often say, “Food is Love”. But what does that mean? I believe GOOD food is at different level… FOOD IS CONNECTION – It creates connections, re-enforces connections, and maintains connections with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, the land, and animals. These are connections that can’t develop from a takeout container or at a restaurant.
Cooking-in creates a connection with whomever your meal is shared with more than it ever will over a restaurant’s table! Cook-In Tonight! Start making a lasting connection that can only happen when you cook for someone. Bon Appetit!
Orecchiette w/ Chickpeas & Olives (Optional Garlic Shrimp or Italian Sausage) - WTNH Recipe 2-10-23
Jennifer O
2 generously
15 minutes
15-20 minutes
Italian
Pasta
This is a fast, full of flavor, one pan meal sure to please. If you don't like olives, leave them out or replace with capers.
Ingredients
- 12 oz orecchiette (little ears) pasta
- 1- 15.5 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, (sliced if large) or pitted Nicoise olive. (I prefer the Nicoise, when I can find them. They are less salty and more mild in flavor)
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- ¼ cup O’Live A Little’s Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano Riggiano Cheese, plus more for garnish
- 3-4 cups baby arugula
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 5 cups water
OPTIONAL
- 4-6 raw jumbo shrimp, peel & deviened
- Or, 2 Italian Sausages - removed from casing
- Or, a combo of both shrimp and sausage
- 1 blub garlic, roasted or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic - (for shrimp)
Directions
Combine pasta, chickpeas, olives, tomato paste, garlic, rosemary, extra virgin olive oil and 5 cups of water in a high sided sauté pan.
Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil
Cook over medium -high heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente. At this point the liquid should be reduced to a nice thick sauce that coats the pasta. Turn off heat.
Stir in the grated cheese and add more water a little at a time if sauce seems a bit to thick for your liking and stir to combine and add a bit of heat if necessary. Using pasta bowls, divide the arugula and top with the pasta and sprinkle with more grated cheese (and red pepper flakes if desired).
OPTION:
While pasta is cooking, coat shrimp with garlic paste squeezed from roasted garlic bulb and a 1/4 t. salt, then sauté in the rosemary olive oil until cooked thru.
Or, sauté shrimp with rosemary olive oil, salt and chopped garlic till cooked thru
Or, sauté in rosemary olive oil and the sausage links whole or sliced or removed from the casings and cooked thru.
Then divide and place on top of pasta in bowls with arugula and garnish with grated cheese.
Can also use a combination of both sausage and shrimp
