Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Chickpea Piccata, and a nervous chef

I'm not exactly sure what made me want to try this recipe to begin with. I don't know the motivation behind saving it with my other recipes. I can tell you, that I chose to make it this week because I needed something new to make for dinner, as the stand bys were in danger of getting "old." That being said, I'm not really a white wine sauce kinda person, or maybe I've never had a good one before. I think, after making this recipe, I can sort of gleam that it might be both, but mostly that I've never had a GOOD one. Here's the link: (click)
  Needless to say, my fears about whether this meal would get a "disgusted carrot man" rating were unjustified, as this is a Moskowitz recipe. I didn't make mashed potatoes to serve this over, since we just had them (well, instant...) the night before, plus it sounded too out there of an idea to me, who was already worried if I'd even like the sauce in the first place. Why add to the risk with an odd accompaniment, right? So I chose a classic fettuccine to serve it over, and played it safe. I wasn't sure what to think through bite 5, it wasn't bad... But by bite 10, I was convinced of it's deliciousness. It grew on me, after my taste buds got to know it a little better. I did follow her suggestion about the mushrooms somewhat- I added 3 medium diced portobellos in along with the wine, instead of roasting them separately and then adding them in at the end. They were a nice partner to the chickpeas. What was a big surprise was just how perfectly the arugula went with the sauce, even if it didn't wilt under the pasta and sauce as I had hoped. It was like I couldn't even imagine what else could go there, or go as well there. They combined and made each other better in the process. So in the end, a great recipe not worth the nervousness.

1 comment:

  1. I will however, never buy arugula again. I made this recipe twice, and both of those times me and matt experienced what we believe to be food poisoning. And arugula (organic and all) was the only thing not used in our weekly dinners/lunches

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