What a great October! Thanks to all of our loyal followers that came from near and far to make this the best, most fun October yet!  On our busy weekends when our team is out on the floor talking cheese, wine, and cooking up grilled cheese sandwiches, behind the scenes we have our trusty slow cooker hard at work making a nice, hot staff lunch.  This is a recipe that I make consistently throughout the winter. It seemed like the perfect pick for our staff lunch because it’s so easy, full of protein to keep us going, and we can grab most of the ingredients right off of the shelves here at the shop! The recipe was originally posted on Food52 from Victoria Granof. Victoria is a classically trained chef, cookbook author and food stylist. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil*

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste*

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas*

• 1/2 cup shell pasta, or similar size*

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/3 pound Caciotta Stravecchio, finely grated*

Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem!

Directions

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until it becomes lightly browned and fragrant. 

2. Stir in the tomato paste and salt and fry for about 1 minute. 

3. Add the chickpeas, pasta, red pepper flakes and boiling water. Stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.  

4. Lower the heat, and simmer until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

5. Serve pasta in bowls. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and drizzle a bit of olive oil. Top with grated cheese and freshly ground pepper.

Serves 2