Pasta Mista e Ceci
1 cup dried chick peas
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
6 cups filtered water
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 garlic cloves
2 cups pasta mista
3-4 tablespoons quality extra virgin
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Soak beans in a pot, covered with around 4 inches of water and the salt for 24 hours. Drain, rinse, put beans in a pot (terra cotta works best but metal is okay), cover with 6 cups of filtered water, add 1 rosemary sprig and the garlic and cook, covered, over low heat. Cook chick peas until tender. It will take a long time for the water to boil and for chick peas to cook-as much as 3 hours. Cool chick peas in their broth. This should yield around 2 AND A HALF to 3 cups chick peas.
2. Puree half the chick peas, remaining rosemary spring and half the broth and put in a saucepan with the remaining chick peas and broth. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, add the pasta mista and cook for around 15 minutes. Pasta will still be al dente. Remove from heat and let the soup rest for 5-8 minutes. If soup is too thick add a HALF cup or more of hot water. Soup should be spoon-able but not liquid. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin and freshly ground pepper.
Variations: Add salt pork or pork rind to the legumes while cooking, then remove, dice and add to the soup. Or stir in a few tablespoons of grated bottarga before serving.
Note: Leftover soup will become very, very thick and makes a wonderful egg-less frittata. Sauté leftover soup in extra virgin in a non-stick pan over medium heat until browned. Turn, brown the second side, serve with a drizzle of extra virgin.
