Got some mushroom and chicken today. I noticed my leek I bought nearly a week is not going to last. Best use it. With one last pie of puff pastry and a can of chickpeas, I might as well use it. I don’t like wasting food.

Google: “Leeks are alliums, so they’re related to garlic, chives, shallots, and onions. Tasting them, you can tell. They have a sweet, oniony flavour that adds depth to soups, stews, pastas, and more! However, because they’re milder than most other alliums. Grilled or roasted, they make a surprising, delicious side dish. Heads up – if you choose to serve them this way, look for really fresh, peak-season leeks. They’re at their best in the fall and spring.”

Google: “Garbanzos, or as they are called in Italy, Garbanzos have a nutty flavour and firm texture. In Liguria, chickpeas are a staple of the region’s cuisine. They are used for the famous farinata, whose origins date back to 1200, but also for the panissa (a farinata without olive oil, fried). There is no shortage of soups like the mesciua, the zimino Genovese, whose recipe calls for chickpeas, chard, tomato purée, onion, celery, and carrots. For the gourmands, then, there are the cuculli, chickpea meatballs with herbs, naturally fried. Chickpeas are back on the scene in Lazio and are combined with pasta to create an iconic dish: pasta and chickpeas. This dish has always been served on the tables in Lazio and throughout Italy, and it is now a typical Christmas Eve dish in the area to be eaten on the day before Christmas when Catholic tradition dictates that one abstains from eating meat. This simple but tasty dish is a classic comfort food, often enriched with a sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese.”

With cold weather, my dinner is something simple, delicious and hot from oven. Last minute, decided to add the can chickpeas to fill me up and keep me warm. Let’s make comfort pie!!!