Chickpea Chicken Noodle Soup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces spaghetti, broken into small pieces

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped if using

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), thinly sliced

1 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the carrot, garlic, if using, cumin, cinnamon and half of the cilantro; cook, stirring , until the spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, 1 cup water, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the spaghetti is just tender, about 8 more minutes.

2 Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the soup. Simmer until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Tuna Casserole

Coarse salt & ground pepper

¾ pound tubetti or elbow macaroni

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced small

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1½ cups whole milk

2 cans (6 ounces each) solid light tuna packed in water, drained and flaked

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 Preheat oven to 425ᴼ. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 2 minutes less than the package instructions (it will be undercooked). Drain. In a small bowl, toss together panko, Parmesan and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

2 In pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add flour and whisk to coat onion with flour. Slowly whisk in broth, then milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in pasta, tuna, and peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3 Transfer tuna mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with panko mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling and crust is golden, 17-20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter and Sage

3 eggs

1 425 g tub ricotta cheese

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter

12 fresh sage leaves

Pepper

1 In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add ricotta and whisk until well combined. Whisk in flour, Parmesan and salt. Chill gnudi mixture for 15 minutes.

2 Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Form gnudi into 24 rough balls using 2 soup spoons. Gently drop each off the spoon into simmering water. Simmer gnudi about 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and reserve on a baking sheet. (Gnudi can be made in advance up to this point and kept for 4 hours in fridge).

3 Melt butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook about 5 minutes., or until butter is browned. Add gnudi. Gently toss and cook about 5 minutes, or until gnudi are heated through, lowering heat so butter doesn't over brown.

4 Divide among 6 bowls. Garnish with pepper and additional Parmesan, if desired.

Makes 6 appetizer servings