Pasta Croccante e Liscia con i Ceci (Ciceri e Tria)
Made from handmade whole wheat or egg pasta cut into wide ribbons—half of which are sautéed until golden in garlic and chile-scented oil then, along with the poached pasta, tossed with roasted almonds and chickpeas softened in a rosemary, garlic, and bay-scented bath. It is a beauty, the crisp, garlic-scented pasta against the soft, delicate ribbons of it with the mealy, nutty little chickpeas and the bitter almonds stitching them together into a plateful of fantasy conjured from homey stuffs.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the chickpeas in cold water, place them in a large pot, and cover them with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of the sea salt to the pot and bring the chickpeas to a simmer. Cover the pot and permit the chickpeas an hour’s rest.
Step 2
Drain the chickpeas, covering them anew with cold water, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, the rosemary, the bay leaf, and the unpeeled garlic. Bring to a gentle simmer and poach the chickpeas until they are tender but still holding their shape. Drain the chickpeas, conserving a 1/2 cup or so of their cooking liquid. Set them aside.
Step 3
Cook the pasta in abundant boiling, sea-salted water to al dente. Drain it but leave it somewhat wet and return it to its cooking pot.
Step 4
In a large sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the olive oil, perfuming it with the crushed chile and then softening the garlic, permitting it to take on some light color before discarding it. Let the chile remain. Sauté half the pasta in the scented oil, tossing it about until it is crisp. Remove the pasta to a large, shallow bowl. Add the chickpeas and the remaining pasta to the sauté pan, along with the reserved cooking liquids from the chickpeas, tossing the mixture about for a few seconds to warm before adding it, along with the pan juices, to the pasta in the bowl. Toss again with the toasted almonds. The dish should be quite warm when presented.
