Passatina di Ceci con Gamberi e Rosmarino Toscana

Ingredients

• 400 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water with bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, added to soaking water
• 2 sage leaves, fresh
• 2 rosemary sprigs, for the chickpea pot
• 2 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
• 60 g lard, a single strip
• 16 raw prawns, shell-on, heads on if possible
• For the rosemary oil
• 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 rosemary sprigs, for infusion

Method

1. 1
   Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse well, then place them in a deep pot with the sage, rosemary sprigs, garlic and lard. Cover generously with cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, so the lard melts gradually into the liquid and the aromatics have time to perfume the chickpeas from the first moment of heat rather than being sealed out by a violent boil. Cook until the chickpeas are completely tender throughout — no resistance at all when pressed between two fingers.
2. 2
   Reserve the cooking liquid, then remove and discard the sage, rosemary and lard. Pass the chickpeas through a mouli in batches, adding ladlefuls of the reserved cooking water to achieve a purée that holds its shape loosely but is not stiff — it should settle slowly in the bowl, not flow. This is where the dish lives or dies: a blender produces a gluey paste, whereas the mouli preserves the faint grain that gives the passatina its character, so work in steady passes rather than forcing great quantities through at once. Taste and adjust salt.
3. 3
   Combine the olive oil and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan and warm over the lowest possible heat to 60 °C, so the volatile oils lift gently out of the rosemary without the heat driving off the delicate top notes that carry the herb's freshness — the oil should be barely trembling, never approaching a shimmer. Hold at this temperature for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and infuse for a further 30 minutes before straining through a fine sieve. The oil should carry a clean, herbal rosemary scent without any bitterness from heat damage.
4. 4
   Heat a ridged grill pan or plancha to the highest possible temperature, so the prawns take on a fierce char in the shortest possible time and the flesh inside stays just barely cooked rather than tightening and toughening through. Season the prawns lightly and grill for 90 seconds per side only — they are done when the flesh has just turned opaque at the edges but remains faintly translucent at the centre. Remove immediately.
5. 5
   Spoon the warm passatina into wide bowls and arrange four prawns on each portion. Drizzle with the rosemary oil. Serve at once — the contrast between the warm, yielding purée and the lightly charred prawns must arrive at the table intact.