Pasta and Chickpeas

"When I first tasted pasta e ceci, I fell in love with it and couldn't stop making it for months. The taste and texture are incredibly comforting and, at the risk of offending our Italian cousins, I liken its soothing properties to adult bean toast. Depending on where you are in Italy, pasta e ceci varies greatly from region to region. In the poorer south, it is in its purest form, made with semolina pasta without eggs, chickpeas and perhaps a little tomato. Meanwhile, in the north, in the richer and more abundant regions, the soffritto is based on anchovies, hearty egg noodles and generous pieces of pancetta. I love all of these forms, especially with good pancetta, and depending on the weather and what's in the fridge, I often add a bit of these luxurious additions. But in this book, I decided to show you how good a humble dish can be. My only request is that you use good quality cooked chickpeas."

Excerpt from The Farm Table Text copyright © 2023 Julius Roberts. Photographs copyright © 2023 Elena Heatherwick, except where noted. Illustrations copyright © 2023 Jethro Buck. Published by Ten Speed ​​Press, a Crown Publishing Group imprint.