Lagane e Ceci
Wide, egg-free semolina pasta ribbons cooked directly in a thick, garlicky chickpea broth scented with rosemary and Calabrian chilli.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large saucepan or Dutch oven
- •Rolling pin
- •Pastry cutter wheel or sharp knife
- •Potato masher
- •Wooden spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 74 g
- fibre
- 8 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Tip the semolina onto a clean work surface and form a wide well in the centre.
- 2
Pour in the warm water gradually, incorporating the flour with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
- 3
Knead the dough firmly by hand for ten minutes until smooth, pliable, and elastic.
- 4
Wrap the dough tightly in a damp tea towel and rest at room temperature for twenty minutes.
- 5
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a sheet roughly two millimetres thick.
- 6
Cut the sheet into wide ribbons, approximately three centimetres wide and ten centimetres long.
- 7
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat with garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, and chilli.
- 8
Sizzle gently until the garlic turns golden and fragrant, then discard the garlic clove and herb sprigs.
- 9
Stir in the tomato paste, cooked chickpeas, warm broth, and salt, then simmer for ten minutes.
- 10
Crush roughly half of the chickpeas in the pan with a potato masher to create a thick sauce.
- 11
Add the fresh lagane directly to the simmering chickpea broth and cook for four minutes until tender.
- 12
Rest off the heat for two minutes so the pasta binds with the starch, then ladle into warm bowls.
Chef's tips
Never cook the pasta in separate water; cooking the lagane directly in the seasoned chickpea broth releases vital starch to thicken the sauce. If the broth reduces too fast while cooking the ribbons, add a small splash of hot water. For the most authentic flavour, use chickpeas simmered from dried with a bay leaf rather than tinned.
Ingredient substitutions
- homemade lagane → dried mafaldine or tagliatelle broken into short lengths
- fresh rosemary → a pinch of wild fennel seeds for a traditional Cosenza mountain aroma
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days, noting the pasta will continue absorbing broth.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat in a small saucepan, adding a few tablespoons of warm water to loosen the creamy sauce.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the pasta ribbons paper-thin, which leads to mushy noodles instead of a robust chew.
- •Boiling the pasta separately, which dilutes the rich, cohesive broth.
- •Letting the chickpea liquor dry out entirely before dropping in the fresh pasta.
Serving suggestions
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