Pasta with Chickpeas & Pancetta (Pasta e Ceci)
Pasta cooked with rich, silky chickpeas and salty bacon - a hearty and filling Southern Italian pasta dish that sings in the Autumn.
You won’t find this dish in many Italian restaurants or trattorias, as it screams of ‘cucina povera’ - a classic ‘poor man’s kitchen’ staple best enjoyed at home. ‘Pasta e ceci’ is a simple Southern Italian dish that combines savoury aromatics - the usual suspects, onion, celery, carrots and garlic - with jarred or canned chickpeas. The suspect blandness of this dish is enhanced with white wine, bacon and sometimes anchovies, which are typically added in the Roman/Lazio version of this dish. Pasta e Ceci is often made with a soup pasta such as ditalini, which isn’t so common outside out Italy. Many short pasta shapes would be fine - macaroni being your best option - but feel free to flex your favourite shapes for this. This pasta dish has a soupier dimension, very much like a minestrone, and should be enjoyed in bowls with spoons and buttered bread. The chickpea-bacon broth consumes the pasta as it all cooks together peacefully in one pot. Less washing up too, how exciting! Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)
250g dried short pasta (macaroni, ditalini, spirali, conchiglie, farfalle)
1x onion
2x cloves garlic
1x stick celery
1x carrot
1 tsp tomato paste/puree
75g pancetta or diced bacon, smoked or unsmoked (optional)
2-3 anchovy fillets, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
1x bay leaf
1x sprig fresh thyme
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes, optional
200ml white wine
1x 400-500g jar chickpeas with liquid (canned is also fine)
700ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon of parsley, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons of pecorino or parmesan cheese, or to taste
WALKTHROUGH
First lets make an aromatics paste. Into a small food processor, add the onion, 2x cloves of garlic, celery, carrot, 1 tsp tomato paste and 50g pancetta/bacon and anchovy fillets, if using. Process this mixture until you have a finely chopped mulch, and not quite a puree. Set this aside.
Place a pot onto medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil followed by the aromatics paste. Fry this paste for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the bay leaf, fresh thyme, chilli flakes and nutmeg and combine until fragrant.
Add the 200ml white wine. Simmer this mixture until the liquid has reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the 400g jar of chickpeas and juice (or a can if using) and combine with the aromatics and wine. Add the 700ml of chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and simmer the mixture for 2-3 minutes until the aromatics are tender and the ingredients are well aquainted. Taste for seasoning and adjust. You want the sauce/broth to taste slightly saltier than you would like at this stage.
While the broth is boiling, add your 250g of dried pasta. Combine well with the broth and return the broth to a boil, put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the pasta until it is ‘al dente’, stirring occasionally in case it sticks. The pasta should absorb most of the liquid. Once cooked, add 100-200ml of cold water to the pot to adjust to consistency. It should be like a slightly-thickened soup/minestrone consistency that coats the pasta well. The addition of cold water will drop the temperature and stop the pasta from overcooking as you serve it.
Before serving, taste for seasoning and make any last adjustments with salt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and pecorino/parmesan cheese. When serving, top with extra cheese, chopped parsley and a whizz of olive oil. Serve with crusty, buttered bread and enjoy it with a spoon!
