Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried Chickpeas
- 4 Quarts of water
- 1 Large Carrot, Small Diced
- 1 Onion, Diced
- 4 Cloves of Garlic, smashed and chopped
- 2 sprigs of Rosemary
- 1 sprig of Sage
- 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Flake
- 1 1/2 Cups of Felicetti Ditalini
- Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano for Garnish
- Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
Note:
- You can use Canned Chickpeas. If you use them you’ll want to cut the water in half.
Method
- The day before making this dish, make sure to soak the chickpeas. Add the water and the beans into a large bowl with some salt and let the chickpeas absorb the water overnight. This will drastically cut down the cooking time.
- The next day, chop up the vegetables and then you can begin to make the soup.
- In a large dutch oven, add the oil over medium heat and then add the onion and carrot. Season with salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened, add the garlic and chili flakes. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary. Cook for a minute and then add the chickpeas by straining from their water with a slotted spoon but persevere the water, you want to add that in a minute. Lets the chickpeas suck up some of that flavor and then after a minute or two add the water the chickpeas were soaking in.
- Bring it up to a boil then drop to a simmer. Skim off any foam as it rises to the top. Once simmering, put a top on the pot and let it cook. Should take 1 hour for the chickpeas to become tender. Once they are tender, adjust the seasoning and get out a blender. Strain out about 1/2 to 2/3 of the chickpeas and vegetables and add to the blender. Then add enough water to puree the chickpeas smoothly. Then add that back to the pot. I like to reserve some extra chickpeas to puree just in case I feel the soup is too thin. You can also use a stick blender and do it all right in the pot but I believe a blender is better for this. If the consistency looks right, bring it back up to a simmer, check for seasoning again, and then add the ditalini pasta. Cook that for about 10-12 minutes or until al dente, stirring the bottom of the pot constantly! This is key. It will begin to thicken quickly when you add the pasta and as a result, you run the risk of the bottom scorching if you walk away. So just stay over the pot, make sure nothing sticks. Once thickened and the pasta is al dente, check for seasoning and adjust. Serve immediately with some olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper and cheese on top.
- Serve with good Italian bread
