For this recipe I do recommend you use dried chick-peas – not tinned ones. You need some of the liquid for the best results.
Serves 4
150 g (5 oz) dried chick-peas
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 onion, cut in half
1 bay leaf
350 g (12 oz) small tubular pasta, such as gnocchetti sardi or shells
3 rosemary sprigs
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 chilli, seeded
6 tbsp olive oil
225 g (8 oz) ripe tomatoes, skinned
Put the dried chick-peas in a bowl and cover with cold water. In a small bowl mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and add enough water to form a paste. Add this mixture to the chick-peas and leave for at least 8 hours to soften the skin.
The next day, drain and rinse the chick-peas and put them in a heavy pot. An earthenware pot of the sort you can put directly on the heat is the best for cooking pulses. Cover with water to come about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the chick-peas, add the onion and the bay leaf, and cook, covered, at a gentle simmer until they are tender. This can take up to 3 hours, according to how long the chick-peas have been in store. Check that they stay covered with water. If necessary, add boiling water. Do not add salt to the pan until the chick-peas are nearly done; salt added at the beginning of the cooking will harden them. Do not lift the lid off the pan for the first hour or so; this would cool the water and toughen the skins.
When the peas are cooked allow them to cool a little in the liquid.
Now, if you have time, you should remove the skins from the chick-peas. The skin comes away very easily, but it is a lengthy job. However, the chick-peas are much better when skinned. The flavour of the soffritto – fried mixture – can penetrate the pulp of the chick-peas, and also you won’t get unpleasant bits of papery skin between your teeth.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water.
While the pasta is cooking chop the rosemary needles, the garlic and the chilli and put them into a large sauté pan with 4 tablespoons of the oil. I use a large, shallow earthenware (again!) dish. Sauté for a minute or so.
Cut the tomatoes in half, squeeze out and discard the seeds and the water and chop the flesh coarsely. Add to the rosemary and garlic soffritto and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the chick-peas, scooping them out with a slotted spoon in such a way that a little of the liquid goes into the pan with them. Sauté for 5 minutes or so, coating the beans in the soffritto.
Drain the pasta when al dente and transfer quickly to the pan. Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry for about a minute. Serve immediately from the pan.
preparation
The chick-peas can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. They can also be frozen.