Brodi, minestre e zuppe

Method:

At the table

There is more than one traditional pasta e ceci. This is a simple white version with garlic, rosemary and olive oil. It serves four. Start the day before with a 12-hour soak, then allow about 2 hours to cook the chickpeas and another 20 minutes to finish the dish. The goal is tender chickpeas and a broth that lightly coats the pasta.

Stories around the pot

The Roman version often uses anchovies, while other households keep to garlic and rosemary; pasta e ceci is a family of dishes rather than a single formula. This bowl belongs to the simpler, vegetable-based branch. Its best bit is the meeting of whole chickpeas and a little mashed into the broth. Decide at the stove how loose you like it, remembering that the pasta will go on drinking after the heat is off.

Before you start

Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours. Drain, rinse and place in a pot with fresh water covering them by several centimetres. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer until thoroughly tender, about 90–120 minutes or longer if needed. Keep them submerged and save their cooking liquid.

At the stove

In a second pot, gently warm the peeled, lightly crushed garlic and rosemary in 3 tablespoons of the oil for 2–3 minutes without browning. Add the cooked chickpeas and about 1.2 litres of their hot cooking liquid, topping up with water if needed. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the garlic and woody rosemary stem. Mash a small ladleful of chickpeas and stir it back in to give the broth body.

Finish and serve

Add the ditalini, season and simmer for the time on the packet, stirring often and adding hot liquid as needed. Stop while the soup is still loose: it thickens as it stands. Rest for 2 minutes, finish with the remaining tablespoon of oil and black pepper, and serve in warm bowls. A few whole chickpeas against the creamy broth make every spoonful interesting.