Name: Pasta e Ceci
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: ham bone (optional but desirable) or 100g/3½oz pancetta; 4tbsp passata; sprig of rosemary; 1 celery stalk; 4 large garlic cloves; 2 onions; 2 carrots; chunk of Reggiano Parmesan cheese, to serve; more best-quality extra virgin oil, to serve; salt and pepper; about 250g/8½ oz ditali or other small dried pasta; 300ml/½pt extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 450g/1 lb dried chickpeas, preferably Spanish

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Keep it Simple

By Alastair Little and Richard Whittington

Published 1993

About

This is the dish which Elizabeth David said is called Thunder and Lightning’ and if you don’t throw away the water in which you have soaked the chickpeas you will discover why. By the way, this is essential practice when soaking all dried beans and pulses if the ‘F’ in fibre is not to be writ large (and loud) on the latter part of your meal and to the chagrin of your guests.

The poin