I love this recipe. Practically any spring green (such as endive, escarole, swiss chard, spinach, or broccoli raab/rabe) tastes fabulous in this simple chickpea garlic sauce. This time, I also added garlic scapes for some extra flavor! (*Indicates Potomac Vegetable Farm (PVF) produce. For more information about what we are doing with our PVF CSA share, click here.)

INGREDIENTS

Chickpea Garlic Sauce

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced (or more if you really like garlic)
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 3/4 cup organic, free-range chicken broth

Other

• 16 oz pasta (such as cavatappi shape – try Severino Homemade Pasta 100% Pure Semolina Flour available at Whole Foods)
• 1 bunch of garlic scapes (discard about 1/2 cm of each end, and chop all the green and white parts)*
• 1 bunch endive, rinsed and chopped (use all the leaves and stems; discard bottom inch of the stem)*
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Add salt, red pepper, chickpeas, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Start heating 4-5 quarts of water for the pasta (try using an electric kettle and transferring the water to a large stockpot; this will save you a lot of time).
3. While garlic mixture simmers and the water heats, chop garlic scapes and endive. Saute garlic scapes in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil heated in a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat, until they begin to brown. Add endive and cook until it is just wilted.
4. Place chickpea mixture in a food processor or blender and process or blend until smooth. Add chickpea garlic sauce to greens, reduce heat to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
5. Bring preheated water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta in the boiling water, according to package directions, omitting salt and oil; drain well.
6. Combine pasta, chickpea garlic sauce and greens in a large stockpot (such as the one you used to boil the pasta in). Stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with freshly grated cheese.