Lagane e cicciari – wide pasta with chickpeas
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A fantastic example of la cucina povera in souther Italian regions such as Calabria and Basilicata, this pasta recipe features chickpeas, rosemary, garlic and chilli. The result is a humble, satisfying and hearty vegan dish that amounts to far more than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 300g of semolina flour
- 150ml of water, lukewarm
Chickpeas
- 150g of dried chickpeas , soaked overnight
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 garlic cloves, bashed, skins left on
- salt
Sauce
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 75ml of white wine
- 1 handful of parsley, leaves picked and chopped
Method
1
To begin, drain the chickpeas from the soaking water and place in a pan with the garlic cloves, bay leaf and a large pinch of salt. Add roughly double the volume of water to chickpeas then bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for an hour, or until the chickpeas are cooked
2
Meanwhile, make the pasta dough. Place the semolina flour in a bowl and slowly add the water, mixing with a fork until the flour and water start to come together (you may not need to use all the water)
3
Tip out onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with some more semolina flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until you have a nice smooth dough. You can add a little more flour if the dough seems too wet. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour in the fridge
4
Once rested, divide the dough into 4 pieces. One at a time, roll the dough out to a thickness of 2mm using a long rolling pin (this manual method will take some skill and patience, so if you have a pasta machine it will make things easier)
5
Cut the rolled-out pasta into strips roughly 8cm long and 2–3cm wide. Sprinkle with semolina flour as you work to stop the ribbons sticking together
6
Once cooked, drain the chickpeas, reserving about 50ml of the cooking liquor and discarding the garlic and bay leaf
7
Sauté the onion, garlic, chilli flakes and rosemary in a generous glug of oil with a pinch of salt. Once soft but not coloured, add the chickpeas, white wine and the reserved chickpea stock, and simmer until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half
8
Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water for 4 minutes, or until al dente
9
Drain the pasta and add to the chickpeas with a splash of the pasta water – the starch from the cooking water will help emulsify the sauce
10
Toss everything in the pan until nice and glossy. Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately
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Lagane e cicciari – wide pasta with chickpeas
