Ceci e Tria

Crispy Semolina Pasta, Chickpeas, Olive Oil, Garlic, and Parmigiano

Chef Jackson Kalb of Ospi | Venice, CA

Adapted by StarChefs | June 2021

INGREDIENTS:

Ceci Purée:
6 cups garbanzo beans, dried
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
Salt
2 cups olive oil

Tria Pasta:
950 grams durum semolina flour
50 grams chickpea flour

Crispy Tria Pasta:
Neutral oil for frying
Sea salt

To Assemble and Serve:
(Yield: 1 serving)
Salt
⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced on a mandoline
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
1 cup Parmesan , grated on a microplane

METHOD:

For the Cece Purée:
Soak beans overnight (less than 24 hours) at room temperature. Rinse the beans then place them in a large pot. Cover beans with 2 inches of cold water, add 1 clove garlic and bay leaf then bring to a bare simmer. Cook approximately 3 hours or until the beans are tender. Remove and reserve 2 cups of beans. Continue cooking the remaining beans over very low heat until very soft. Skim any scum off the surface, adding water to ensure beans stay completely submerged. After approximately 6 hours, drain the beans and discard the bay leaf. Add 2 quarts of cooked garbanzo beans to a fresh pot of cold water with carrot, onion, celery, and remaining garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until the garlic is falling apart and all vegetables are soft. Drain the mixture, reserving 1 cup of water. In batches, while the mixture is still hot, blend in a Vitamix blender with the reserved water, salt, and olive oil. Reserve.

For the Tria Pasta:
Sift together semolina and chickpea flour onto a work surface. Make a well in the center, add 272 grams water into the well, then whisk to combine. The dough will be very dry, so continue to mix until a shaggy mess forms. Let the dough rest for 2 hours. Using a torchio fitted with a thin, long, noodle-shaped bronze die, extrude the pasta into 2-to-3-inch pieces. Divide the pasta into 2 equal halves. Let half the pasta slowly dry overnight.

For the Crispy Tria Pasta:
Fill ⅓ of a large pot with oil and heat to 350°F. Fry remaining half of Tria Pasta in small batches until crisp and golden brown. Season immediately with sea salt. Cool to room temperature and store in a nonreactive container.

To Assemble and Serve:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 150 grams of uncooked Tria Pasta and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. In a saucier, heat olive oil and garlic over low heat. Let them infuse 3 to 4 minutes, taking care not to brown. Add ¼ cup reserved garbanzo beans, ½ cup Ceci Purée, butter, and about ¼ cup of pasta water to the saucier. Let the sauce reduce slightly, mixing frequently. Add more pasta to the sauce, along with 170 grams Crispy Tria Pasta and ¾ cup of the Parmigiano. Add pasta water or reduce to create a thin sauce. Top with olive oil and ¼ cup Parmigiano.

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