Readers of The Bitten Word cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appetit magazine. Here's their take on Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas.
Kathy Espo: Easy, delish...not too spicy..dump the garbanzo, add cannellini beans.
Dao: I was afraid the dish would be too filling (chickpeas+ pasta?) and lacking vegetables (tomato paste but no tomato?). Grated lemon to serve, shallots and parsley were welcome to lift up aromas but recipe a bit too salty/greasy for me (sausage and broth and parmigiano : can skip the broth).
Judith: My first problem in making this dish was that I couldn't find any chorizo in my local markets. So I had to substitute it for hot Italian sausage (as the recipe suggested) but I would have preferred chorizo. I did manage to find malloreddus pasta which I quite liked. My second problem was that I should not have made this dish on the hot, steamy day I did. This dish would be much better on a chilly autumn night. Overall, I liked the dish. Even though they are listed as optional, I would not skip adding the parsley or lemon zest. They both added a note of freshness that the dish needs.
Barbara Linton: Taste was great but the color was too monochrome. Recipe would benefit from the addition of some color; maybe bright red chopped tomato and some baby spinach added at the last minute.
Jen: Simple and delicious this dish came together effortlessly, and with ingredients that I consider pantry staples. I ended up making one adjustment to this dish, I subbed out dried pasta for fresh. Everyone knows fresh pasta is where it's at so I caved and went that route. What can I say, I'm a pasta snob. All in all I thought this meal had great flavour and heat from the chorizo and red pepper flakes, but it was the lemon zest and parmesan the finished it perfectly.
Sara: As soon as I flipped through the magazine, I earmarked this recipe. It has three of our favorite things -- sausage, chickpeas, and pasta. It's a good weeknight dinner with some interesting touches, especially the chorizo and the lemon zest.
Kristine: A rich, smoky, spicy dish; I don't cook with a lot of red meat, and I have never made a chorizo dish before. It was spicier and richer than what I typically like, but I thought it was delicious. The lemon zest added a nice contrast. This would make a great alternative to chili at a winter dinner party; next time I will skip the crushed red pepper - the chorizo I used was spicy enough without it. The leftovers were even better - the sauce had time to marinate the pasta and chorizo.
Irene Piwtorak: This semi-spicy pasta dish was a hearty and savory meal for a cool, end of summer evening on the deck. It easily satisfies those who desire a mid-level of heat, yet is mild enough for tamer palates to enjoy. This was a simple to prepare one pot wonder that was rich with complex, meaty flavor. The dish was rounded out by adding mild shallots and filling chickpeas. A unique combination! I was concerned that the sauce would be watery, but as it simmered the sauce thickened to a perfect consistency, sticking to the chewy orecchiette. This meal is a fantastic choice for any cook who likes a little spice in the kitchen.
MaraBeth: Worth repeating! This falls in the category of "fast flavor!" We used orecchiette for our pasta -- the little concave disks captured the sauce and cradled the chickpeas like little pearls. The type or brand of chorizo chosen has a large impact on the outcome -- they're all good, just different. Don't skip the parsley, lemon, or cheese on top -- they make the dish!
Get the Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas recipe at Bon Appétit
Head back to the Mains (Pasta and Vegetarian) Index