Falling somewhere between a brothy stew and a saucy tomato pasta dish, Pasta e Ceci (pasta and chickpeas) is Italian comfort food at its finest.
With a tomato based broth, chickpeas, ditalini pasta, and wilted escarole, this one-pot vegetarian stew is a hearty and satisfying meal in and of itself. Don’t forget to top it with a pile of shaved pecorino cheese!
Look, I know it’s officially summer and here I am posting a hearty stew recipe. We’ve been making this pasta e ceci stew or variations of it since March to use up all those canned beans in our pantry, and have finally perfected it to a point where it’s too good not to share. And who says you can’t eat stew in the summer? I mean, I certainly enjoy a nice scoop of ice cream no matter how cold it is, so why should hot stew be any different?
This classic Roman recipe falls somewhere in between a stew and a saucy tomato pasta, with a thick, saucy broth and satisfying bites of ditalini pasta and protein-rich chickpeas.
While the roots of this recipe can be traced to a Roman peasant dish, there are myriad variations out there, the only thing they have in common is that they all have pasta and chickpeas (obviously). Some versions are more soup-like, some more tomato-heavy than others, and some feature heartier additions like greens or meat.
We loosely based our version on this recipe from Colu Henry (her book, Back Pocket Pasta, is one of our all-time favorite cookbooks).
The Specialty Food Association and Mintel have collaborated to produce the State of the Specialty Food Industry, 2020-2021 Edition. On Tuesday, June 30 at 1 p.m. EST, join David `Lockwood and David Browne of Mintel and Denise Purcell of SFA for a webinar where they'll reveal highlights of this year’s research—including crucial analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.
This webinar will cover:
Where the industry was heading into 2020, where it is now in light of the pandemic, and where it is going
Here’s how to make rose sangria! Just a handful of ingredients and fruit make a light and fruity summer drink that everyone will be talking about.
There’s red sangria and white sangria…so why not rose sangria? This sangria made with rosé wine is so light and refreshing, so filled with fruity, delicate flavor, that it’s jumped to the top of our favorites list. It’s perfect for summer entertaining, be it a lazy afternoon, pool party, lake house or dinner party drink. Sangria is so often made with too much sugar, or non traditional ingredients like ginger ale. This recipe shows you how to make rose sangria: the Spanish way! It makes for a delicate, nuanced flavor that’s just sweet enough and will leave you wanting more.
Sangría is a traditional wine punch that originates from Spain. The classic version is red sangria, made with red wine and chopped fruit, and often orange juice or brandy. There’s also white sangria, made with white wine. So while it’s a bit less standard: why not try it with rosé wine? Like many popular recipes, there are many variations on the theme when it comes to ingredients. Here are the ingredients in this rose sangria:
Fruit: orange, lemonand strawberries
Sugar
Rosé wine
Brandy
Sparkling water, optional
Mint, for garnish
How to make rose sangria (the Spanish way)
Rose sangria is not often served in Spain, but it’s a variation on white sangria which is traditional. This method is inspired by our favorite Spanish chef, Jose Andres. Chef Andres is from Spain and started many successful restaurants here in the US (and is a Nobel prize nominee for this humanitarian work!). The “Spanish” way to make sangria that Chef Jose recommends is this:
Macerate fruit for 20 minutes: Mix the sangria fruit with sugar and let it macerate or stand at room temperature and break down. This helps the fruit flavors permeate the wine even more.
Add liquids: Add the rose wine and brandy. Throw in some lemon slices.
Refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours. This allows the flavors to meld and develop.
Voila! It’s ready to serve: a refreshing, unique sangria recipe you’ll want to make on repeat all summer long.
Tip: don’t make more than 4 hours in advance
Once you mix up your batch of rose sangria, you’ll let it sit refrigerated for the flavors to meld. The minimum time for this step is 1 hour. But there is a maximum refrigeration time: we wouldn’t recommend anything beyond 4 hours! The fruit starts to be come soggy and lose their color, and the flavors fade a little. So, it’s not a drink to prep in advance: make it up an hour or so before you plan to drink!
Want bubbles? Serve with soda water
In Spain, it’s also traditional to top off your glass with a little soda water. This adds a bubbly effervescence that makes it even more refreshing! Serve your sangria right away, making sure to dish up a hefty portion of fruit in each glass as a garnish. We like to add a few ice cubes and then top off the glass with soda water. (Just please don’t add Sprite or ginger ale to this wine punch: promise?)
Eat the fruit when serving!
Another cue we picked up on from Chef Andres is this: don’t let the fruit go to waste! When you serve sangria, serve it with skewers. Let your guests eat the remaining wine-soaked fruit in their drink using the skewers. It’s a perfect “dessert” or palate refresher after a meal.
Brandy vs Grand Marnier
For the other alcohol in this rose sangria, you can use brandy or Grand Marnier. There are lots of types of brandy: use brandy you have on hand. Cognac is a fancy type of brandy if you have that available (we have some for making the classic Sidecar). Grand Marnier is a mix of brandy and orange liqueur: it gives it a little higher end vibe. (If you have a bottle of Grand Marnier, also try it in a Cadillac Margarita.)
More types of sangria to try
There are so many spins on sangria: some traditional and some more creative! Here are the best types of sangria to try:
Here’s how to make rose sangria! Just a handful of ingredients and fruit make a light and fruity summer drink that everyone will be talking about.
Ingredients
1 orange
2 cups strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 bottle rosé, chilled
1/3 cup brandy or Grand Marnier
1 handful mint leaves
1/2 lemon, sliced into rounds
Sparkling water, for serving
Instructions
Chop the orange (leaving the skin on). Slice the strawberries. Add both to the bottom of a pitcher, sprinkle with sugar and stir. Let them stand for 20 minutes at room temperature.
After 20 minutes, pour in the rosé wine and brandy. Add the fresh mint and lemon rounds. Stir and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours. (Don’t go beyond 4 hours or the fruit texture starts to degrade.)
Pour the sangria into ice filled glasses and top with a splash of sparkling water (if desired). Add fruit to each glass, preferably on long skewers for easy snacking.
This easy celery salad could not be more refreshing! Take this crunchy veggie to new heights paired with apples, Parmesan and a tangy vinaigrette.
Here’s a surprisingly delicious salad that deserves a spot on your plate: celery salad! The name doesn’t have quite the ring of say, potato salad. But this unique salad is so refreshing, you’ll become a convert from the first bite. Crunchy celery pairs perfectly with sweet apple, Parmesan shavings and a tangy vinaigrette. It’s bright, it’s crunchy, it’s hydrating: it works for summer, and it’s perfect in the winter too. Really, what can’t this celery salad do?
What’s in this celery salad?
You need just a handful of ingredients for celery salad: and we promise, it will be the talk of your dinner! (At least, it is whenever we serve it to guests.) Pairing the bitter depth and crunch of celery with sweet apples and tangy dressing makes for a unique salad that is always surprising. Here’s what you’ll need:
Celery: make sure it’s nice and fresh: bright green with no brown spots! You’ll want best quality celery here.
Apple: You can use any kind of apple: we like using a red apple for color contrast
Parmesan shavings: The better the Parmesan, the better the salad.
White wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup or sugar
Olive oil
Use the celery stalk and the leaves!
This celery salad heightens the flavor of this green vegetable by using the celery leaves as part of the salad! You’ll thinly slice the stalks, then pull off the leaves and use those too. Make sure to find a bunch of celery with leaves attached (some bunches are sold without the leaves). If you can’t find the leaves you can omit them, but it adds to the fresh flavor and gives a nice color contrast as well.
Celery salad tastes the best the day of making
How to make celery salad? Thinly slice the celery, thinly slice the apples, and then mix them with the vinaigrette dressing. It’s that simple! One thing to note about the salad is that it does taste best right away. The flavor truly pops and is freshest right when you make it.
That said, you can refrigerate the salad until serving, or you can keep leftovers for a few days. If you do, you might find the flavor dull a little bit. Add a pinch of salt or a tiny sprinkle of white wine vinegar to revive the flavors.
Tip: how to cut apples…fast!
Thinly slicing celery stalks is pretty self explanatory. But we do have a quick method for thinly slicing apples! It’s totally slick and you won’t believe that you’ve never done this before. Here’s the trick of how to quickly thinly slice apples: check out the video below!
Holding the core of the apple, use a large chef’s knife to slice off four sides of the apple, cutting as close to the core as possible.
Take one of the quarters and place it flat side down on the cutting board. Then cut it into thin slices.
Repeat with the remaining quarters!
Ways to serve celery salad
This salad pairs well with just about anything, making it an incredibly versatile side dish! Here are a few ways we’d suggest pairing:
Thinly slice the celery ribs. Measure out the celery leaves. Thinly slice the red apple.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup or sugar, and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil one tablespoon at a time.
In another bowl, toss together the celery and celery leaves with the apple, dressing, and Parmesan cheese shavings. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. This tastes best the day of making, but you can refrigerate leftovers for a few days (refresh them with a little vinegar or salt if necessary).
Category:Salad
Method:Raw
Cuisine:American
Keywords: Celery salad, Celery apple salad
More great salads
There are so many great salad recipes to try! Here are some of our top salads:
Perfect Italian Salad Your soul mate side dish! It features crisp veggies, crunchy croutons, tangy pepperoncini, and a punchy homemade dressing.
Kale Quinoa Salad Full of healthy ingredients and tastes incredible! Meal prep this easy plant-based lunch idea for meals all week.
This easy corn salad is fresh and full of tangy flavor, with bursts of bright tomato and basil! The classic summer salad for BBQs and picnics.
It’s not summer until you’ve made corn salad! This one is all about fresh flavor: sweet bursts of corn, juicy tomatoes, and herbaceous basil pair with a tangy, light vinaigrette. If you’re like us…you won’t be able to stop eating it! Top with feta cheese crumbles if you like, or keep it as a plant based salad: it’s just as good either way. Alex and I made this for a BBQ and while the grilled main dish was good, everyone kept talking about the corn salad. Here’s all about how to make it…including a tip on how to cut corn off the cob: without the mess!
This healthy corn salad hits just the right sweet spot: a minimal number of simple ingredients that combine into big flavor. Here’s what you need to make this summer salad:
Corn on the cob: Make sure it’s ripe and in season!
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion
Fresh basil
Apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Garlic powder and chili powder
Salt and pepper
If you love the salty savoriness of feta cheese crumbles, absolutely add them here! But it’s not lacking in flavor, so we like making it without it. It’s a vegan salad that’s bursting with summer flavor.
Here’s a way to step up this corn salad: make it grilled! The grilled corn kernels add a smoky flavor to the salad that makes it even more irresistible. I could not help shouting out my love for the grilled version of this salad! You can make the grilled version two ways:
Make the recipe below with grilled corn. Go to our Perfect Grilled Corn recipe to find out how to do it!
Go to our Grilled Corn Salad. This variation uses a creamy dressing with Mexican flavors inspired by elote. It’s incredibly tasty!
How to cut corn off the cob…without the mess!
Here’s our best trick on how to cut corn off the cob! If you’ve cut corn off the corn on a cutting board, you’ll appreciate the memory of yellow kernels sprayed all over your kitchen. (Right?) Here’s a way to cut corn off the cob and reduce the mess:
Use a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish. The sides of the dish will keep the corn kernels contained inside!
Hold the corn vertically, then use a sharp chef’s knife to slice downward. The kernels end up right on the sheet. Use your fingers to break apart corn that sticks together.
Best classic summer salads
This corn salad is part of our arsenal of classic summer salads! We have to make each of these at least once to feel like it’s truly the season. These are perfect side dishes for a grilled dinner, or to take to BBQs or picnics. Make them all:
This easy corn salad is fresh and full of tangy flavor, with bursts of bright tomato and basil! The classic summer salad for BBQs and picnics. You can also make it grilled! Go to Grilled Corn Salad.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (This takes about 15 to 20 minutes, so plan accordingly.) Shuck the corn, removing the silk.
When the water is boiling, place the corn cobs in the pot. Boil covered for 4 minutes, until bright yellow. Run under cool water until cool enough to touch. (Alternate method: Roast the corn in the oven.)
Find a large rimmed baking sheet or pan. Hold the corn vertically inside the pan, then use a chef’s knife to slice down and remove the corn from the cob (the sides of the sheet catch the kernels that fly when cutting, helping to reduce mess!).
Meanwhile, dice the cherry tomatoes. Finely chop the red onion. Chop the basil.
In a large bowl, mix together the vegetables with the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If desired, top with feta cheese crumbles (optional; they’re not necessary for flavor!). Stores refrigerated for up to 3 days.
There are so many tasty ways to enjoy summer’s bounty of corn! Here are all our favorite corn recipes:
Creamy Corn Chowder The best recipe for highlighting fresh sweet corn: it’s savory, salty, a little sweet—and seriously creamy. For a vegan variation, try Vegan Corn Chowder.
Roasted Corn on the Cob The easy way to cook corn! You don’t even have to remove the husk; just throw it right onto the oven grates.
Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil Want a shrimp boil recipe that’s easy enough for a weeknight? Bake it! This sheet pan shrimp boil in oven is simple to make and has serious flavor.
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