Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan

This dish came out of the current Real Simple January issue (p. 123) under their "all-time reader favorites." I was intrigued, so I decided to try the recipe. Turned out damn tasty. Even better was that the fact that the dish, start to finish, took only 20 minutes to make. Cooking the noodles in the broth provides great flavor and the crushed red pepper gives the dish a nice spicy kick.

Serves 2 main course portions (with probably a little left over).

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
8 ounces (half box) angel hair (or capellini) pasta
1/2 can of chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 cup roasted almonds, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let the garlic brown). Add the broth, red pepper, and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and almonds before serving.

To view Real Simple's top-50 recipes of 2008, click here. (Also, I cut this recipe in half, so if you're looking to make 4 - 6 portions, click here.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

This is a favorite of mine and I go by the recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook. It's a good date meal or perfect for one. You can make this dish any number of ways -- some like to add things like pancetta or grilled chicken to add more flavor. I personally like the pasta by itself, so that's how I make it. I usually serve this with some kind of arugula or mixed green salad and garlic bread. And, of course, no good pasta dish is complete without a bottle of red -- I like a zin with this, but what do I know? Gnarly Head is one that I sometimes pick up from Whole Foods.

Sorry, no photo. I was too hungry to take a picture the other week when I made this! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying good eats over their holidays.

What you need:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped (I usually just go with a regular, old yellow)
-2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 28 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-1/4 vodka (I used Grey Goose b/c that's what I had on hand, but whatever you have lying around should work just fine)
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used half-and-half for this dish, too, but I'm partial to what the recipe calls for)
-1/2 - 1 box penne (depending on how many you are making this for, you can do a full box of pasta or half; if it's just me I usually just do half and enjoy the leftovers during the week)
-12 basil leaves chiffonaded
-freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-salt and pepper to taste

So...heat your olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and saute your onion until it softens (say like 6 or 7 minutes). Toss your garlic in for another minute. Then, add to this your can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes and vodka. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham (what?), bring a pot of water to boil for your penne. Remember to salt your water before adding the pasta (I usually dump a small palmful in). Cook to whatever the instructions on the box are for al dente pasta -- around 11 minutes I think. Before draining, reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to mix into your sauce. (No, you don't have to do this, but everything I've learned from watching too many cooking shows says that adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the liquid to stick to the pasta when you add it in, so like a good little lemming, I follow this rule of thumb).

After your sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and heat through. (This is a good time to add in your pasta water if you're gonna.) Add salt and pepper to taste and then your chopped basil leaves. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. (Evidently, it is not traditional to grate cheese over this, but I love the flavor that it adds. What can I say, I love cheese!)