question about chick peas

[Anonymous]

I used canned chick peas for a pasta dish tonight, following the instructions to drain and rinse well. They kind of ruined the recipe, tasting canned, or just not very good. I have never been a huge fan of them, except in hummus, but with all the other ingredients in the recipe I thought it would be good.
My questions are: do they come in an uncanned variety? are they called something else? is there some better way to prep them before putting them in a recipe? is there a better substitute for an Italian style dish that calls for them?
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

First, you can cook them yourself from dried very easily and they will not have that canned taste. They may be labeled garbanzo beans.
Second, if you buy them canned, do not cheap out. I find that the Goya is appreciably better than store brand.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I usually get canned Whole Foods organic chick peas/garbanzo beans. I think they taste good. You can get them dried and either soak them over night or boil them until soft. You should always rinse canned beans, so if you didn't do that, it could be part of the problem.

Chickpeas over pasta has never been a favorite preparation of mine. I like them in a stew with tomatoes, eggplant or squash. I have a chickpea chili that is really tasty. I've also made chick pea cakes with pureed chick peas that are baked or pan fried.

They're like beans, so they will be bland if you don't flavor them enough. If you want an Italian substitute you can try white northern beans or Cannellini beans?