Pasta e cechi

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion, rosemary, bay leaf and half the carrot and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, and stir for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chickpeas, the cubed potato, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, about 1 minute.
3. Then add vegetable broth and tomato chunks, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Then turn the heat off, remove the rosemary.
5. Transfer the broth to a blender, puree until smooth and return it to the pot. Alternatively, you might use a stick blender, or you can simply smash part of the chickpeas with a potato masher.
6. However, be careful, the liquid is still hot
7. Turn the heat on, bring to a light boil, and add the dried pasta.
8. Halfway through add the remaining carrot and celery
9. Reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring often, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite. If the soup seems too thick, gradually add water or broth and thin to desired consistency (note: the longer it sits on the stove, the thicker it will get).
10. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste (if you use broth, it's important to adjust the seasoning at the end and not at the beginning, as you never really know how salty the broth is).
11. Serve with corn, an extra drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and grated parmesan cheese if you don't keep it vegan. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Liquid: 3 cups of water/broth is an estimate. You migh need to add or to reduce the amount of water according to the type of pasta and to your preference.
• Seasoning: I cook pasta e ceci with water, but If you prefer to use broth, keep in mind it might tastes quite salty on its own. It’s important to adjust the seasoning at the end and not at the beginning as you never really know how strong the salt from the broth is.
• Note: pasta e ceci is best served immediately; as it sits, the pasta soaks up the liquid. If the soup gets too thick, you can thin it with a bit of broth or water
• Freezable: the chickpea soup can be frozen, without the pasta, for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until simmering, add the pasta, and cook until the pasta is ready.