Ciceri e tria – chickpeas with pasta and crisp fried ribbons

The evening before, rinse the chickpeas, cover with 1500 g cold water and leave covered in the fridge for about 12 hours. The next day, drain, discard the soaking water and rinse the chickpeas again. Put them in a saucepan, add 1200 g fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer gently with the lid ajar for about 90–120 minutes, until completely tender. Top up as needed from the 600 g hot reserve water to keep them submerged. Older chickpeas may take longer to cook.

While the chickpeas cook, put 300 g semolina and 3 g salt in a bowl. Pour in 150 g lukewarm water and mix, then knead by hand for about 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes. The dough rests while the chickpeas cook.

Divide the rested dough into three similar portions. Set one aside to fry raw and the other two for boiling. Keep them separate and covered so this division is maintained while rolling and cutting.

Roll each portion into a sheet about 1–1.5 mm thick, dusting lightly with the reserved 15 g semolina. Cut into ribbons about 1 cm wide and 6–8 cm long. Use the uneven edges of the dough too. Keep the ribbons from one portion separate for frying and those from the other two for boiling. Spread loosely on baking paper and leave for about 20 minutes so the surface dries slightly; the chickpeas are still cooking during this time. Set any loose, unused semolina aside, out of the dish.

In a small frying pan about 18 cm across, heat 120 g olive oil until hot but not smoking. Shake loose semolina off the ribbons set aside for frying. Add a few raw ribbons at a time and shallow-fry for about 1–2 minutes per batch, turning if needed, until golden and crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Do not add the oil left in the pan to the sauce.

Drain the tender chickpeas over a bowl, keeping their cooking liquid. Finely chop the garlic. Heat the separately measured 30 g olive oil in a wide saucepan or deep frying pan and warm the garlic in it over low heat for about a minute, until fragrant. Add all the chickpeas and a small ladleful of their cooking liquid. Mash a few spoonfuls against the side of the pan with a fork to make a creamy sauce. Add the remaining 5 g salt and stir gently.

Bring 2000 g water to the boil without adding salt. Add the two reserved portions of ribbons and cook for about 2–4 minutes, until tender but springy; give them a little longer if needed. Drain and discard the pasta water. Add the pasta to the chickpeas and stir gently over low heat for about a minute. Add only enough reserved chickpea cooking liquid for the sauce to coat the ribbons loosely and stay moist. Unused cooking liquid and reserve water stay out of the four servings.

Turn off the heat and add the black pepper and fried ribbons. Fold together briefly and gently, keeping the ribbons intact. Immediately divide between four deep plates, with chickpeas, boiled pasta and crisp frizzuli in every serving. Serve straight away, before the fried ribbons soften in the sauce.