eat.sweet

I’m digging tofu lately. I’ve been cooking with it for a while, just pressing it, seasoning it, and throwing it into things. I’ve never tried marinating it, which most people say is the only way you should eat tofu. The tofu that I get at the Chinese market is from a bulk bin and rather soft, even too soft to press. I found this “Dry-Fry & Marinate” method and gave it a try. It was great! I didn’t let the tofu dry out as much as they did in the picture because I didn’t want it to be too rubbery. After the tofu marinated long enough, I started to make a stir-fry and threw the marinade liquid in there as the seasoning for the stir fry. It was a success. The texture & flavor of the tofu were great, and the All-Purpose Marinade reduction was yummy.

I went shopping yesterday but I left the receipts in my car, so I’ll post it tomorrow.  It the meantime, I wanted to share this awesome soup that I made for dinner.  It tastes really rich and filling while still being low in fat and with an acceptable amount of protein from the chickpeas – and not expensive to make.  We ate it with a side of bacon brussels sprouts.  

Here is my version that I adapted from a couple of different recipes.

Pasta e Ceci

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried) 
(optional: some sprinkles of other Italian herbs such as oregano, thyme, basil)
2 cans of chickpeas
3 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup marinara/spaghetti sauce 
1 cup of uncooked small pasta such as ditalini or elbow pasta; or spaghetti broken into short pieces

In a big pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low heat.  After a couple of minutes, add the garlic, carrot, celery, and rosemary.  Saute them on medium-low until they get soft, around 10 minutes.

While you’re waiting, drain and rinse one can of chickpeas.  Put them in a blender, food processor, or in my case the Magic Bullet, and add 1 cup of broth.  Blend it up until it’s smooth and set it aside.

When the vegetables are soft, turn the heat up to high.  Add the remaining two cups of broth, the tomato sauce, and the pureed chickpeas.  Stir it well so that everything is combined.  Drain and rinse the other can of chickpeas and add them to the pot.  Also add other herbs if you’re using them (I added dried basil and white pepper) Bring it to a rolling boil.  Dump in the pasta and let it boil until the pasta is soft, around 8 minutes.  Makes about 4 servings.

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You could let the soup simmer longer before you add the pasta (and add more water or broth if needed), but it was really flavorful even without simmering.  Other people have substituted a few Tablespoons of pesto instead of marinara sauce which also sounds delish.

I chose this recipe specifically because I had the extra rosemary and I’m glad I did.  I wish I could grow an herb garden because the fresh herbs taste soooo good but when I buy them at the store, I can’t use it up fast enough and it ends up being a waste.  I still have a ton of rosemary left and tried to freeze a couple of sprigs, so hopefully that will work out.