Fried and Boiled Pasta with Chickpeas

La storia di questo piatto

This is the soul of Salento poured into a bowl — a medieval whisper carried across sun-scorched stone, where Arab traders and Byzantine monks left their breath in every humble chickpea. It belongs to a land of olive trees and silence, where poverty learned to taste like poetry.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Dried chickpeas
• 250 g Durum wheat flour
• 150 ml Water
• 5 g Salt
• 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 piece Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 150 g Peeled tomato
• 1500 ml Vegetable broth
• 2 g Black pepper
• 500 ml Oil for frying

Preparazione

1. Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl and cover them completely with cold water. Let them soak for 12 hours (or overnight): you will see that the chickpeas will double in volume and the skin will begin to loosen slightly. Drain the water using a colander and rinse the chickpeas under running water until the water runs clear. Transfer the chickpeas to a pot, cover them with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat (you will see bubbles crackling vigorously). Lower the heat so they simmer gently (small bubbles rising slowly) and let them cook for about 90 minutes. To know when they are done, take a chickpea and squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger: it must yield easily without any resistance, but without falling apart completely.
2. Pour the durum wheat flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt, mixing with your fingers. With your fingers, create a well (a hole) in the center of the flour and pour the lukewarm water little by little. Start mixing with your fingers, bringing the flour from the edges toward the center, until a rough dough forms. Transfer everything to the work surface and knead by hand for about 8-10 minutes: push it forward with your palm, fold it toward you, rotate it a quarter turn, and repeat. You will know it is ready when the dough becomes smooth and elastic to the touch and no longer sticks to your hands (if it still sticks, add a little flour gradually). Form it into a ball, place it in a clean bowl, cover it with a damp kitchen cloth, and let it rest in a quiet place, away from drafts.
3. Lightly flour your work surface. Take the dough and begin rolling it out with a rolling pin, starting from the center toward the edges, rotating the dough from time to time to keep it circular. Continue until you reach a very thin thickness, about 2 millimeters (if you hold it up to the light, it will be almost transparent). If the dough starts to spring back, let it rest for 10 minutes covered with a kitchen cloth, then continue. Once you have reached the correct thickness, uncover the sheet and let it rest for another 10 minutes so it dries slightly on the surface (it will be less sticky). Then, with a very sharp knife, cut the dough into irregular strips, about 1-1.5 centimeters wide and of varying length (they do not need to be perfect or uniform). As you cut, arrange the strips on a floured tray, separating them slightly from one another.
4. Pour the seed oil (or peanut oil) into a deep pot and heat it over medium-high heat. After about 5-7 minutes, test the temperature by immersing a wooden stick: when the oil begins to fry gently around the stick (you will see small bubbles rising), it is ready (the temperature is about 170°C: you can recognize it because the oil shimmers slowly and you smell the hot aroma). Immerse a small handful of strips at a time (do not crowd the pot: space is important). Let them fry for 2-3 minutes: you will see them float and become golden and crispy. Do not touch them too much; gently flip them only once halfway through cooking with a spoon. Remove the fried tria with a slotted spoon and place it immediately on paper towels. While still hot, sprinkle a light coating of fine salt over it.
5. In a large pot, pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and heat it over medium heat. While waiting for the oil to heat, mince the onion and garlic very finely, almost into tiny dice (this way they will cook quickly and evenly). Pour the onion and garlic into the hot oil and stir with a wooden spoon. After about 1 minute you will smell it perfuming: this is the signal that they are beginning to cook and release their aromas. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes transparent and soft to the touch, but it must not become dark or burnt.
6. Add the peeled tomato (crush it a little first with the spoon so it releases its juices) and mix well so it absorbs the oil and the flavors of the onion and garlic. Let it brown for about 2 minutes, stirring from time to time: you will see the sauce become thicker and darker in color. Pour in the hot broth (prepared beforehand) and stir immediately: the pot will begin to sizzle and make some noise (this is normal). Increase the heat and continue until the liquid reaches a boil: you will see bubbles crackling vigorously on the surface.
7. Add the cooked chickpeas to the broth that is boiling and stir gently with a spoon. Taste the broth with a clean spoon and add a pinch of salt if necessary, then grind fresh pepper directly into the pot with a pepper mill. Let it cook over lively heat for 5 minutes: the broth will continue to simmer gently, the chickpeas will absorb flavor and integrate completely with the tomato sauce.
8. Pour the hot soup into deep bowls when you are ready to serve. Distribute the fried tria on the surface only at the moment of eating: position it here and there with your hands so it stays crispy (if you add it too early, it will absorb the moisture from the broth and become soft and mushy). Add a thin drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil to each bowl. Serve immediately, while the broth is piping hot and the tria still crispy and fragrant.