Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea and Pasta Stew)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 carrot
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sage leaves
• 1 fresh rosemary
• 1 fresh thyme
• 3 cups chicken broth , or more as needed
• 2 peeleds whole canned tomatoes
• 8 ounces ditalini
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cayenne pepper , seeded and minced, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse chickpeas under cool water. Pick up handfuls of chickpeas and rub them together with your hands under the water to wash chickpeas. Place chickpeas in a large stew pot, cover with water and add baking soda; swirl chickpeas and water to distribute baking soda. Leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight.

2. 2

   The next day, pour chickpeas through a strainer and rinse well under cold running water, eliminating any skins or discolored chickpeas; set aside.

3. 3

   Grate onion, celery, zucchini, and carrot on the large teeth of a cheese grater, This step is very important as grated vegetables give a different flavor than diced.

4. 4

   Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the stew pot over medium heat, and sauté grated vegetables for 1 minute. Mix in sage, rosemary, and thyme and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Add 3 cups broth, all the chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in pasta. Add more broth only as needed to achieve a thick, stew-like consistency.

6. 6

   Cook until pasta is tender with a bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and divide amongst serving bowls. Top each bowl with minced cayenne pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.