Cold winter days call out for comfort food–and what could be better than this soupy, homely, immensely satisfying southern Italian dish, Pasta with Chickpeas?

Serves 4

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INGREDIENTS
7 ounces dried chickpeas (or a 14 ounce can of cooked chickpeas), plus liquid from cooking
1 fresh bay leaf
1 whole garlic clove
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 fresh or dried chili, chopped (optional)
about half a 14 ounce can of peeled, chopped tomatoes
7 ounces of short pasta such as ditalini, pasta mista, rombi or broken up lasagna noodles
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
If you’re using dried chickpeas, put them in a bowl covered with plenty of fresh cold water the night before and leave them to soak in the fridge. The next day, drain the soaked chickpeas and place them in a saucepan, cover with fresh water, add a bay leaf and simmer for a couple of hours or until the chickpeas are soft. Add salt to taste at the end. Don’t throw away the cooking liquid – this is gold and you’ll need it for the sauce. If using canned chickpeas, skip to next step.

In another saucepan, gently heat a smashed garlic clove, a sprig of rosemary (minus the twigs, or remove them before adding the chickpeas) and the chilli in a few tablespoons of olive oil. When the garlic begins to get fragrant and soften, perhaps even slightly colour, add the tomato and let sizzle for a few minutes.

Add a ladle-full of the chickpea liquid (if you’ve used canned, use the liquid in the can) and about two-thirds of the chickpeas. Puree the remaining chickpeas before adding to the saucepan to create a creamy, thick sauce. There are some who remove the lump of smashed garlic before adding the chickpea puree – but you can leave it in.

Add more of the chickpea liquid (or water or stock) to the sauce until it is quite watery, then add the pasta and cook until the al dente and the sauce has reduced. If you choose to use a long pasta, you may want to cook it separately in a pot of water then simply add it to the ready sauce.

By the time the pasta has cooked, the sauce should be creamy, not watery, but not too thick either. Like a creamy soup. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Ladle into shallow bowls, pour over your very best extra virgin olive oil, more freshly ground pepper and then let it sit for a moment or two before serving as it will be piping hot and it needs to cool a little to be best enjoyed. Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese is entirely optional. Serve this pasta dish with a spoon.

These white chocolate and raspberry blondies, flecked with pink peppercorn and swirls of raspberry jam, are a perfect marriage of super-sweet and ever-so-savory. They’re fruity, peppery, and perfect for spicing up your Valentine’s Day!

Makes 16

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INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat an oven to 350˚F. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. (This will help with removing the baked blondies.)

Put the pink peppercorns into a mortar in pestle and grind until coarsely ground. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the pink peppercorns into a zip top bag and smash with a heavy skillet. Set aside.

In a large sauce pot, melt the butter. Once melted, remove from the heat, add the brown sugar and whisk to combine. Continue whisking and add in the eggs one at a time. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, salt, and pink peppercorn. Stir in the white chocolate chips, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Using a spoon, dollop the jam over top of the batter. Using a butter knife or wooden skewer, swirl the raspberry jam. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges or golden brown and the blondies have risen slightly. Let cool.

Once cool, using the excess parchment hanging over the edges, lift the blondies from the pan in once big piece. Trim off the golden edges from the blondies and then cut into 16 squares.

Zuni’s Pasta with Preserved Tuna is adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (which can never be praised enough). Judy Rodgers created the recipe as a way of saving leftover tuna on Sunday. I assume you do not have that problem, but if you do, take the time to preserve the tuna yourself. It isn’t hard and it is wonderful; you can find Rodgers’s method in the Zuni cookbook. What’s below is her adaptation for canned tuna — good olive oil-packed tuna. As for the pasta: Rodgers recommends penne, ziti, or ditali, but I’ve made this with spaghetti and perciatelli and I was pleased. Also, while we’re being heretical, have I substituted walnuts [why not roasted cashews?] for the pine nuts before? I have.

Serves 4

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta (see above)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, for the sake of small humans)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional, for the same reason)
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped roasted cashews
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped (optional)
12 ounces olive oil-packed tuna (slightly more or less is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a small skillet, gently warm the olive oil with the lemon zest, bay leaf, chili flakes and black pepper (if using), garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook for about 15 minutes over very low heat to let the flavors infuse the oil. Then add the canned tuna, pine nuts, capers, and preserved lemon (if using). Gently nudge apart the tuna and let it warm up but not cook.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the tuna mixture. Serve.

This warm sweet potato salad from Deliciously Ella makes eating peanut butter everyday easy. Add optional chopped radicchio, for crunch.

Serves 4 as a side

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INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 handful of parsley, chopped
1 1/2 ounces dates, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon (heaped) black sesame seeds (white sesame seeds also work—you’ll just need to toast them)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of peanuts, chopped and toasted, for serving (optional)
1 handful chopped radicchio for serving (optional)

For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons date syrup or maple syrup
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 lemon, juiced (you’ll use the juice)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil, add the spices and some salt and pepper and mix well, ensuring everything gets coated. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until they’re really soft.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the dressing, whisking everything with some salt until smooth.

Next, place the parsley and dates in a large bowl with the sesame seeds. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, add them to the bowl with the dressing and mix everything together. Sprinkle with toasted peanuts, if using, serve and enjoy.

This recipe is adapted from Al Forno’s famous baked pasta method — it uses less cream and cheese, and incorporates a hearty sausage ragu for a more tomatoey pasta. A word of advice: if you’re not going to bake off the finished dish right away, boil the pasta for even less time than the instructions call for (like 2-3 minutes). As the pasta lies cradled in delicious sauce in the fridge it will continue to soften, and you don’t want it to turn to mush.

Serves at least 4

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INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound fresh sweet Italian sausage (I use chicken, but feel free to use pork)
1/2 onion, diced
Kosher salt
1 fat clove garlic, peeled and smashed
Handful basil leaves
4 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 pound short pasta (I like penne or conchiglie)
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium heavy saucepan until shimmering. Remove the sausage from the casings and add it to the pan, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Brown the sausage well, stirring a couple times, about 5 minutes.

Create a hole in the middle of the pan and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and the basil and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. Remove the basil leaves and set the sauce aside.

Heat the oven to 500 °F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage sauce with the rest of the ingredients, except the pasta and butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir well.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain well and add to the mixing bowl, tossing gently to combine everything.

Spread the pasta evenly into the baking dish. Dot evenly with the butter, and bake until bubbly and brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.