Ceci e Pasta alla Romana

Ingredients

• 400 g dried chickpeas, soaked 12 hours in cold water, drained
• 1 whole head garlic, unpeeled, halved across the equator
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, for the chickpea pot
• 1 small dried chilli, whole
• 160 g short pasta, ditalini, maltagliati, or spaghetti broken into short lengths
• 1 whole canned or ripe plum tomato, crushed; optional, for a tomato-tinged broth in the Friday Roman tradition
• For the rosemary oil
• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pot
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, for infusing
• 1 anchovy fillet in oil, optional; dissolved in the oil before infusing
• to taste fine sea salt

Method

1. 1
   Place the soaked, drained chickpeas in a deep pot with the halved head of garlic, rosemary sprigs, whole dried chilli, and the crushed tomato if using. Cover generously with cold water — at least 2 litres. Bring to a boil over medium heat, skim any foam that rises, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook uncovered until the chickpeas are completely tender throughout, 45 minutes to 1 hour. The cooking liquid must remain plentiful and aromatic — this is the dish's only broth. Season with salt only once the chickpeas are fully tender. The pot is ready when a chickpea pressed between two fingers offers no resistance and the liquid smells of rosemary and garlic.
2. 2
   Remove and discard the garlic head, rosemary sprigs, and chilli. Ladle roughly half the chickpeas into a bowl and pass them through a food mill or purée them with a little of their cooking liquid until smooth. Return this purée to the pot and stir to combine with the whole chickpeas. The soup must now be thick enough to coat a spoon heavily before the pasta is added — this is where the dish lives or dies. If it is too thin, simmer uncovered until it thickens; if too thick, add a little of the reserved cooking water.
3. 3
   Warm a small saucepan over low heat. Add the 100 ml of olive oil and, if using, the anchovy fillet; stir until the anchovy dissolves into the oil. Add the two rosemary sprigs and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve. Reserve this infused oil at room temperature.
4. 4
   Bring the chickpea soup to an active simmer. Add the pasta directly to the pot and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the pasta is just tender and has absorbed some of the broth, thickening it further. Taste for salt. The soup is ready when the pasta yields without resistance and the broth has thickened to a dense, porridge-like body that holds its shape briefly when a spoon is drawn through it.
5. 5
   Ladle into warmed bowls. Pour a generous measure of the rosemary-infused oil over each portion — the oil is not a garnish but a final flavour layer integral to the dish. Serve immediately.