Orecchiette con Ceci

Name: Orecchiette con Ceci
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Pugliese
Ingredients: 320 g dried orecchiette pasta; 400 g Cooked chickpeas; 300 ml chickpea cooking broth or water; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 sprig Fresh rosemary; 1 piece dried bay leaf; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

A comforting Apulian dish of ear-shaped pasta tossed with tender chickpeas, garlic, rosemary, and peppery extra virgin olive oil.

🇮🇹Italy· Apulia

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 490 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

320 g dried orecchiette pasta — or 400g fresh semolina orecchiette
400 g Cooked chickpeas — drained, reserving cooking liquid
300 ml chickpea cooking broth or water — warm
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — plus extra for finishing
2 cloves Garlic — peeled and lightly crushed
1 sprig Fresh rosemary — whole
1 piece dried bay leaf — whole
1 tsp Fine sea salt — to taste, plus extra for boiling water
½ tsp Black pepper — freshly cracked

Equipment

•Large pot
•Wide sauté pan
•Ladle
•Fork or potato masher
•Slotted spoon

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 490 kcal
fat: 15 g
carbs: 74 g
fibre: 9 g
protein: 16 g
calories: 490 kcal

Instructions

1
Warm the olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat.
2
Add the crushed garlic cloves, rosemary sprig, and bay leaf to infuse the oil until fragrant.
3
Tip the cooked chickpeas into the pan and toss for two minutes to coat thoroughly.
4
Pour in the warm chickpea broth and simmer gently for eight minutes.
5
Ladle roughly one third of the chickpeas into a bowl and crush them thoroughly with a fork.
6
Stir the crushed chickpeas back into the pan to thicken the sauce into a creamy consistency.
7
Boil the orecchiette in a large pot of salted water until just al dente.
8
Transfer the pasta directly into the chickpeas using a slotted spoon, bringing along some cooking water.
9
Stir vigorously over low heat for two minutes until the pasta cups are coated in creamy chickpeas.
10
Discard the rosemary sprig, bay leaf, and garlic cloves.
11
Season with salt and black pepper, then divide among warm bowls and finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Chef's tips

Crushing a portion of the chickpeas is the authentic secret to achieving a luscious sauce without adding any dairy. Use robust, slightly peppery Apulian extra virgin olive oil for the finishing drizzle to lift the earthy flavours.

Ingredient substitutions

orecchiette → cavatelli, tubetti, or ditalini pasta
fresh rosemary → a pinch of dried wild oregano

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of hot water to loosen the starches.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Draining the pasta completely and discarding the starchy cooking water, which prevents a silky sauce from forming.
•Burning the garlic early in the process, which imparts a bitter flavour to the delicate chickpea broth.
•Leaving all the chickpeas whole, resulting in a dry, disconnected pasta dish.

Serving suggestions

Serve hot in shallow earthenware bowls with crusty Altamura durum wheat bread.Drizzle with raw, peppery extra virgin olive oil at the table.Top with a spoonful of fried breadcrumbs for added texture if desired.