Pasta con ceci (pasta with chickpeas)

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

I learned this several years ago from an Italian woman when we were living in Cairo. I don't remember her name, just the single dinner party I was invited to at her home. There was a multitude of dishes, some quite elegant, but this was my favorite. It is the very definition of peasant food: simple, filling and cheap. That it is also relatively healthy is a bonus. <br /> <br />While it could, I'm sure, be embellished, that just wouldn't be in keeping with the spirit of the dish. <br /> <br />The dish is traditionally made with 'pasta mista', or mixed pasta. This would be an inexpensive blend of broken pastas. You can make your own by combining approximately equal amounts of broken spaghetti, broken tagliatelle and macaroni.