{"id":4779,"date":"2018-05-04T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=4779"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:44","slug":"aunt-margies-pasta-e-ceci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/04\/aunt-margies-pasta-e-ceci\/","title":{"rendered":"Aunt Margie’s Pasta \u00e8 Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas)"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 4, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Beans and Macaroni. Pasta \u00e8 Fagioli.\u00a0 Even Pasta Fazool to quote Dean Martin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic combination and there are as many variations as there are cooks!\u00a0 (Google returned 6,300,000 entries for \u201cbeans and macaroni,\u201d 588,000 for \u201cpasta \u00e8 fagioli,\u201d and 57,900 for \u201cpasta fazool!\u201d)<\/p>\n

This is my interpretation of Aunt Margie\u2019s, which she made with chickpeas.<\/p>\n

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At Aunt Margie’s 90th birthday party in September 2010.\u00a0 From left to right, Aunt Margie’s grandson, Jim, me, Aunt Margie, my cousin Donna (Aunt Margie’s daughter)<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It couldn\u2019t be more different from my mother\u2019s which was made with baby lima beans.<\/p>\n

Aunt Margie\u2019s was made with water and oil.\u00a0 My mother\u2019s had tomato sauce.<\/p>\n

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Aunt Margie\u2019s was quite soupy.\u00a0 My mother\u2019s was just slightly \u201csaucy.\u201d<\/p>\n

They grew up in the same house and learned to cook from the same mother.\u00a0 I wish I had thought to ask either of them where their respective recipes came from and why they were so different.<\/p>\n

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My cousin Donna and I in the lobby of the Hilton Plaza in Miami Beach, 1970<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One thing that both versions had in common, though, is that they were frequently served on Fridays, which our families observed as meatless back then.\u00a0 (When Fridays were no longer meatless, my father joked that it was because the Vatican sold its fisheries.)<\/p>\n

But Friday or no, pasta \u00e8 fagioli, or, in this case, more specifically pasta \u00e8 ceci (ceci means chickpeas), is consummate comfort food.\u00a0 Admittedly, pasta \u00e8 fagioli does not need to be meatless but it very often is.\u00a0 (Actually, I made a non-meatless version earlier this week with guanciale, cured pork jowl.)<\/p>\n

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Aunt Margie and Uncle Joe were like second parents to me.\u00a0 I spent many (most?) summer days at Aunt Margie\u2019s, getting there in the morning and staying until dinnertime or later.\u00a0 My cousin, Donna, is nine months younger than I am.\u00a0 Her neighbor Ricky Slivosky is nine months younger than she is.\u00a0 The three of us hung out pretty much all summer.\u00a0 That made Aunt Margie\u2019s house the logical choice.<\/p>\n

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Aunt Margie got a little too much sun while we were staying at the Beau Rivage Resort in Miami Beach, 1971<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our families often vacationed together.\u00a0 Florida was a favorite destination.\u00a0 Once every 5 years Uncle Joe had 13 weeks of vacation (ahh, the glory days of American steel manufacturing\u2026and collective bargaining).\u00a0 Those years were likely to include a trip to California.<\/p>\n

Aunt Margie really didn\u2019t like vacations.\u00a0 Several times I witnessed what I believe was an annual ritual.\u00a0 Uncle Joe would be loading the suitcases in the trunk of the car and Aunt Margie would be standing beside him still trying to convince him to cancel the vacation.\u00a0 Aunt Margie never won.<\/p>\n

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Beau Rivage Resort, Bal Harbour, Florida<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those vacations were always by car; two days to Florida and four days to California.\u00a0 Aunt Margie ate the same lunch every day of every trip: bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches on white toast, hold the mayo.\u00a0 Only after we reached our destination did she resume a \u201cregular\u201d diet!<\/p>\n

We always had fun and even Aunt Margie seemed to enjoy herself (a minor episode of seasickness, notwithstanding).<\/p>\n

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Aunt Margie getting seasick on the boat trip from Miami to the Bahamas, 1970<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My father didn\u2019t always go on vacation with us due to his work schedule. \u00a0He made it on the 1970 trip to Florida, which included several days in the Bahamas which we reached by boat from Miami.\u00a0 The only food memory I have of that trip is going to an Italian restaurant in Freeport where the garlic bread was so garlicky that it was bitter.\u00a0 The food itself must have been pretty good as we went back again.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the garlic bread was just as bad the second time around.

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Aunt Margie's Pasta \u00e8 Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas)<\/h2>\n
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Aunt Margie\u2019s Pasta \u00e8 Ceci was more soupy than my mother\u2019s Pasta \u00e8 Fagioli. It had no tomato sauce. This is my interpretation. I have made the liquid a little thicker by emulsifying the cheese and oil at the end. Aunt Margie never used wine. That is my addition. To prepare dry chickpeas, combine 1 pound of dry chickpeas, 7 cups of water, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 bruised garlic cloves, one bay leaf, \u00bd teaspoon whole black pepper, and a piece of Parmesan cheese rind. Cook in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes or simmer, partially covered, adding more water if needed, till tender but not mushy. If not using the Instant Pot, add the salt after about 15 minutes of simmering. Measure out 3 \u00bd cups of cooked chickpeas. Reserve the remainder for another use. Use the cooking liquid as described below. Aunt Margie's pasta \u00e8 ceci was usually so soupy that it was served in bowls. Feel free to make yours as loose as you would like.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>45 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>55 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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