OUr meal delivery service (Sunbasket) sent us a tasty pasta dish this week, papardelle with chorizo. I'd never had fresh pasta before (just the dried stuff) but it is really much better!

Fresh pappardelle with chorizo, chickpeas, and ricotta salata

• 7 ounces Talluto’s fresh pappardelle
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• ½ pound fresh loose chorizo (contains pork and spices)
• ½ cup organic mirepoix (onions - carrots - celery)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 ounces organic baby kale or other leafy greens
• 1½ ounces ricotta salata
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Cook the pappardelle

Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil. Separate the pappardelle so the noodles don’t clump together during cooking. Add the pappardelle and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain the pappardelle, reserving 1 cup (2 cups) pasta cooking water. Return the pappardelle to the pot; if needed, toss with about 1 teaspoon oil to keep the noodles from sticking. While the water is heating and the pappardelle is cooking, prepare the sauce.

2

Make the sauce

• Rinse the chickpeas.
• Cut a small corner from the chorizo packaging and drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel.

In a large frying pan (large sauce pot) over medium-high heat, warm 2 to 3 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the mirepoix and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the tomato paste is caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chorizo and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until lightly browned but not yet cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add ½ cup (1 cup) reserved pasta cooking water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly and the chorizo is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

3

Finish the dish

To the pan with the sauce, stir in the pappardelle, chickpeas, kale (the kale in batches if needed), and more pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Cook until the chickpeas are heated through and the kale is just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve

Transfer the pappardelle and sauce to individual bowls and crumble the ricotta salata over the top. Garnish with as many chile flakes as you like and serve.