A couple of months ago, before the lockdown, I stopped at a farm stand near Lynchburg. I saw they had some interesting pork products and bought some. Now I'm back in my New York City kitchen for a little while and I have decided to give a Lynchburg twist to my Neapolitan chickpea pasta. Let's see how it works out...
A little info: This type of dish is called "minestra" in Italy. It's not really a soup, it's a soup-like dish, most of the time containing pasta and some type of vegetable or grain. It's a "cucina povera" dish (poor man's cuisine), made in every home and also in small trattorias. I still remember a pasta e ceci I had with my friend Massimo, over 30 years ago, at the Trattoria Vomero, near my parent's apartment in Napoli. It was so incredibly good, we ate at least a pound of past each. Well, that was the time where I could eat and not be afraid of putting on weight... Past e ceci, just like pasta e fagioli and pasta e lenticchie and pasta e patate (pasta with white beans, pasta with lentils and pasta with potatoes) can be made either "brudus" (pronounced Brou-DOUS) or "azzeccus" (pronounced Atze-ccOUSE), more liquid or less liquid (azzeccus in Neapolitan literally means: sticky).
Ingredients for 2 people (to be eaten for two days. Or for 4 people in one sitting. My opinion is that the next day this pasta is delicious and it's worth reheating it, so...) :
- About 8 oz of dry chickpeas (soaked overnight. Some people don't soak them, but then... it's going to take you hours to cook them)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced.
- Lynchburg-made sugar-cured pork. It looks like pancetta to me. You don't have to use it, if you want a vegetarian option.
- 8 oz of pasta (half a pack). I used these Tuscan Pantacce by La Molisana that I had in my pantry. One should use short pasta, or pasta mista (mixed cuts, which you can make yourself with a bunch of unfinished packs. You can even throw in some spaghetti, if you break it up). This "minestra" was originally conceived to use whatever pasta is left in your pantry.
- One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for cooking, plus a little bit for later.
- Italian parsley, chopped.
- Kosher salt.
Let's make it:
Place the chickpeas in a medium pot (possibly cast iron, but not necessarily), cover them with water and add a pinch of salt. Boil on low heat, lid on, for 45 minutes to one hour. Make sure they are always covered with water, which means you might have to keep adding a bit of water once in a while. When they start bursting out of the their skins and they are tender, the chickpeas are ready!
Once the chickpeas are done, drain them, and reserve about a cup. Then, in another, larger pot (large enough to cook the pasta), put a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, the pork cut in small chunks, the garlic, and some chopped parsley. Keep the heat low, we don't want to burn the garlic, do we now? (Remember what Zia Anna said about that? If you don't remember, take a look at the post about the Fish Puttanesca). Sauté all that for about 3 minutes, until the garlic softens and the pork releases a bit of fat–I mean flavor–in the pot.
The next step may seem a bit odd, but trust me, this is what make this dish a "minestra": Transfer the ceci (except the ones you reserved in a bowl) to the pot with the oil, garlic etc, and add enough water to cook the pasta, at least 4 cups. That's when you decide if you want it brudus or azzeccus... I like azzeccus, so I don't add too much water. Bring the water to a boil and then put the pasta in the pot, with some more salt (not too much, we will adjust later).
Cook the pasta for a good two minutes less than what's indicated on the package. While the pasta cooks, you can make a Boulevardier (here's my recipe for this delicious cocktail):
Time for a:
Boulevardier (a Negroni variation)
0.75 Oz. Campari
0.75 Oz. Sweet vermouth (or some Amaro, I like Ramazzotti)
1.5 Oz bourbon (I like Old Overholt)
Orange peel
In a lowball glass mix liquids, add a big ice cube and stir well (until the glass is cold to the touch). Light a match (don't use a lighter, for pity's sake, if you don't want your drink to taste of butane), and, holding it close to the glass, spritz the peel over it, so the oils caramelize and fall into the glass. Drop the peel in the glass. Enjoy.
While drinking the Boulevardier, use an immersion blender (or a regular blender, I don't really have a rule for that) to make a paste out of the reserved chickpeas (add some pasta water to help blend). Since you might be drinking the cocktail while doing that, please be careful...
When the pasta is almost cooked, add the paste to the minestra. Stir well, adjust salt. Take the pot off the heat and let it sit for 3 minutes.
Below is what I call a pasta e ceci azzeccus!!
Serve in a pasta bowl, with a dash of olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley (if you want, I like it without, Marina likes it with... we disagree on that). If you have a pasta bowl with a gold rim, it will look better... just like in the photos below.
(Here's one of my dish, without the parsley...)
I suggest you reheat the pasta the next day and have some for lunch. The microwave works. If you don't have one (why? I ask) put a little water in the minestra and reheat it on low heat, stirring occasionally.
Wine: this goes well with a light red (Beaujolais, or a Pinot Noir from Northern Italy or a Nebbiolo from Piedmont)... I don't know about white wine. The Boulevardier, you should have finished by now.
Buon appetito and stay safe.
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