From Libellula's Kitchen & Land — easy pasta recipe

Hearty and filling, pasta e ceci is a traditional winter dish. It originates from the tradition of “cucina povera” cooking, literally meaning “poor cooking.” Cucina povera dishes were created by Italian peasants who could only afford simple ingredients to cook with. These dishes were also often meant to use up ingredients that had started to go bad so as not to let any food go to waste. Another cucina povera dish you’re probably familiar with is bruschetta. Italian peasants would take their several days-old bread, slice it up, and add fresh tomatoes and olive oil. The loaf of bread that...

There is one particular sauce in Italian traditional cuisine that, more than all others, is centred around extra virgin olive oil. Pesto! The central step in making pesto involves smashing or blending a nut (typically pine nuts) with garlic and olive oil, achieving a thick paste. A variety of herbs or vegetables can then be added to the nut mix to add flavor and dimension. This recipe uses wild garlic not only because it is a favorite ingredient among Italians, but also because it is an herb that can be foraged in woodlands throughout the Northern Hemisphere (and is often...