Pasta e Ceci - The Coziest Pasta and Chickpea Soup from Abruzzo
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
for the soup
  • 1 cup chickpeas - soaked overnight in purified water, with a splash of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 ribs celery - sliced in half
  • 1 yellow onion - quartered, skin on
  • 2 cloves garlic - smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 10 cups water
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • 2 medium carrots - grated
  • red pepper flakes - to taste
  • handful chopped parsley - for garnish
  • olive oil - for garnish
  • fresh sagne pasta (recipe below) or about 12 oz dried store-bought pasta
for the sagne pasta
  • 1½ cups spelt, whole wheat, or sprouted spelt/wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup purified warm water, plus more as needed
Instructions
to make the soup
  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a large soup pot, combine the chickpeas, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and water. Bring up to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, or until the chickpeas are cooked and tender (this might take up to an hour or even longer for older chickpeas). Make the pasta while the broth is cooking. Salt the broth well at the end. Remove the aromatics (celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves) with a slotted spoon and discard.
  2. Add black pepper to taste to the broth, along with the carrots and red pepper flakes. Bring everything up to a boil, then simmer for 10 more minutes, or until the carrots are cooked through. Meanwhile, heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Add ¼ of the amount of the pasta to the pan and toast, stirring often, until the pasta becomes crispy. Use the crispy pasta to garnish the soup.
  3. Bring the soup back up to a boil, add in the rest of the pasta (recipe below) and cook for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until al dente. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Serve the soup, topped with crispy sagne pasta, parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil. If using dried store-bought pasta, cook it into the soup until al dente, and skip the crispy pasta step.
to make the sagne pasta
  1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl with a fork. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil and water. Begin to mix with a fork, slowly incorporating the flour into the well of oil and water. When all the flour is mixed in, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. All flour takes on water differently, so add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if your dough seems dry. It should feel smooth, but not too wet, with no cracking. Form a ball with the dough and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, or cover with a damp kitchen towel in the bowl. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Place the dough back on the well-floured work surface and knead it for another 10 minutes, until even more springy. Cut the dough in half and keep one half covered with a damp kitchen towel while you roll out the pasta.
  3. Keep your working surface well-floured. Roll one piece of dough at a time into a paper-thin sheet. Cut the rolled-out dough into the sagne pasta shape, about 1½" x ¼", using a pizza cutter or a knife. Transfer the pasta to a parchment-covered tray, sprinkled with plenty of flour to prevent sticking. Continue rolling out and cutting the rest of the dough.
Recipe by Golubka Kitchen at https://golubkakitchen.com/pasta-e-ceci-the-coziest-pasta-and-chickpea-soup-from-abruzzo/