As the weather gets colder, I want more warm and comforting food. I was really excited to get this recipe for pasta e ceci as it is part soup, part pasta dish made in a clay pot. It is eaten with a spoon but it is not pasta and chickpeas floating in broth, but instead the broth is a substitute for a thick sauce. Half of my excitement was generated by the bean pot itself which is rustic and homey, and I get plenty of satisfaction from just looking at it. Luckily, the food that came out of it was delicious, and I ended up eating two servings. The total cook time is about an hour and a half to two hours (depends on how quickly your beans soften and cook), but you don’t have to do much in that time. This recipe could also be made with a heavy bottomed sauce pan, but Italian food wisdom says that it tastes better made in the pot. I will follow that wisdom without questioning it.
Pasta with chickpeas
About a cup dried chickpeas
1 1/3 cups water
½ carrot sliced
½ stalk celery sliced
½ ripe tomato diced or 1 canned whole tomato diced
Chili pepper flakes
½ onion diced
Olive oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
Salt
Black pepper
Short pasta (small shells, bowties, etc.)
The night before soak the chickpeas in salted water. I was also told to rub the chickpeas between my hands to make them softer. The next day drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in pot with water and baking soda. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. A foam or, sorry for this word, scum will form on top of the water, scoop off as it forms. It will do this for about the first half hour. After the foam stops forming add the vegetables and chili pepper. Cook for about another hour. Check the consistency of the beans, and once they are tender remove from heat and add salt and a little olive oil. Ladle the chickpeas and broth over the cooked pasta and sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with fresh oil.
