Ciceri e tria

With an imminent trip to Puglia I wanted to try something traditional from the region. Ciceri e tria is a hand-cut pasta with a chickpea ragu. It's surprisingly full of flavour and the fried pasta garnish adds great crunchy texture. Definitely one for the repertoire whilst we're staying in our Truillo in Alberobello.

Ingredients 

Serves 4

For the pasta

150g semolina flour

150g plain flour, '00' type

For the ragu

500g dried chickpeas (soaked in water for 12 hours)

2 onions

1 carrot

2 garlic cloves

1 celery stalk

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red chilli, finely chopped

500g chopped tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Method

Drain the soaked chickpeas and put into a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Add a whole onion, the carrot, garlic and celery. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for two hours,

Combine the semolina and '00' flour adding just enough lukewarm water to form a firm dough. If you add too much then throw in a little extra flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Lightly oil and wrap in cling film and rest at room temperature for at least an hour. 

Then place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle about 3mm thick. Cut the dough into strips about 5mm wide and 6cm long. Be reasonably quick about it so the the pasta doesn't stick back together.

Drain the saucepan, reserving the water. Remove the onion and celery from the chickpea mix. 

Finely chop the other onion and cook in a saucepan with some water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook until the water has evaporated. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the chopped chilli. Fry until brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas.

Then purée half of the mix and return to the pan. Mix well, taste and season with salt & pepper.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer to about 180C (usual bread browns in 39 seconds test). Add a third of the pasta and fry until crispy and golden.

Bring the reserved water to the boil and add the other two thirds of the hand-cut pasta.

Add the boiled "tria"pasta to the chickpea ragu, adding a little of the cooked water if it's too thick. 

Serve in a warm bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, grate over plenty of Italian vegetarian hard cheese and finish with the crispy fried tria pasta.