Ceci con Finocchietto Selvatico

Name: Ceci con Finocchietto Selvatico
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sarda
Ingredients: 300 g dried chickpeas; 100 g fresh wild fennel fronds; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 3 whole Garlic cloves; 2 whole dried bay leaves; 150 g canned plum tomatoes; 1 whole dried red chilli; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Chickpeas stewed slowly with aromatic wild fennel fronds and olive oil, known in Sardinian as cìxiri cun fenucheddu.

🇮🇹Italy· Sardinia

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 90 min
Total: 105 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 380 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

300 g dried chickpeas — soaked in cold water for 12 hours and drained
100 g fresh wild fennel fronds — washed, thick stems trimmed, finely chopped
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust Sardinian oil preferred
3 whole Garlic cloves — peeled and lightly crushed
2 whole dried bay leaves — whole
150 g canned plum tomatoes — crushed lightly with a fork
1 whole dried red chilli — crumbled
1 tsp Fine sea salt — adjust to taste at the end
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper — coarse grind

Equipment

•Terracotta pot or heavy saucepan
•Colander
•Skillet
•Wooden spoon
•Ladle

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 380 kcal
fat: 15 g
carbs: 48 g
fibre: 12 g
protein: 16 g
calories: 380 kcal

Instructions

1
Rinse the soaked chickpeas thoroughly under cold running water and drain them well.
2
Place the chickpeas and bay leaves into a heavy pot and cover with fresh cold water by five centimetres.
3
Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium heat and skim off any white foam from the surface.
4
Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 60 minutes until chickpeas start softening.
5
Warm the olive oil, crushed garlic, and dried chilli in a separate skillet over low heat until fragrant.
6
Add the crushed tomatoes and half of the chopped wild fennel to the skillet, cooking gently for five minutes.
7
Pour the tomato and fennel base into the pot of simmering chickpeas, stirring well to combine.
8
Add the remaining wild fennel, salt, and black pepper, then simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until tender.
9
Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves before ladling the rich, brothy chickpeas into warm bowls.

Chef's tips

Always salt the chickpeas towards the end of cooking so the skins remain tender and do not turn tough. If you gather wild fennel yourself, use only tender young fronds and wash them thoroughly in cold water to remove soil.

Ingredient substitutions

fresh wild fennel fronds → the green tops of cultivated fennel bulbs mixed with 1 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds
dried chickpeas → two 400g tins of cooked chickpeas, reducing the initial cooking time to 20 minutes total

Storage

Keep leftover stewed chickpeas in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a small saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of warm water if the broth has reduced too much.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Salting the water at the start of cooking, which hardens the chickpea skins.
•Boiling the legumes rapidly on high heat, which breaks the chickpeas apart before they soften evenly.
•Discarding the aromatic cooking broth, which should remain rich and soupy around the pulses.

Serving suggestions

Ladle steaming hot over crisp sheets of pane carasau drizzled with raw olive oil.Serve in rustic earthenware bowls alongside a glass of dry Sardinian Cannonau red wine.