Fried Tagliatelle With Chickpeas And Smoky Tomatoes Recipes

FRIED TAGLIATELLE WITH CHICKPEAS AND SMOKY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Make the smoky tomato oil: Place a medium sauté pan over high heat. Once hot, add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, shaking the pan as needed, until tomatoes are charred on the outside but still retaining their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in everything else and return to medium-low heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally as it bubbles very gently. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.
• Prepare the pasta: While the tomato oil infuses, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large, high-sided sauté pan and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the tagliatelle nests and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely golden. (Don't worry if you don't get color on the sides.) Set the toasted tagliatelle nests aside and rinse out the pan.
• Drain the soaked chickpeas and add them to the same pan along with 4 1/4 cups/1 liter water and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). Return the pan to medium-high heat and bring to the boil, skimming the scum as needed. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and test the chickpeas at this point. They should be soft but still retain their shape. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
• Stir in the garlic, then nestle in the fried tagliatelle nests. Replace the lid and cook, undisturbed, until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Remove the lid and, without stirring, squeeze over the juice from the lemon halves.
• Spoon the smoky tomato oil on top, sprinkle with the parsley and serve directly from the pan. Serve with the extra lemon wedges to squeeze on top to taste.

TAGLIATELLE WITH CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a large bowl with cold water covering them by at least 4 inches; let soak in a cool place for 12 hours or more.
• Drain and rinse the ceci, place them in the big saucepan with 10 cups fresh cold water, and drop in the cut vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and bay leaves. Bring the water to a boil, stirring occasionally, then partially cover the pan and adjust the heat to maintain a low but steady simmer. Cook until the chickpeas are tender but not mushy, 2 hours or more, stirring now and then-add water if necessary to keep the chickpeas and vegetables submerged as they cook.
• Meanwhile, make the pasta dough and tagliatelle by hand. Stir the flours together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Break up the egg with a fork. In a cup or small bowl, stir in the olive oil and 1 tablespoon cold water, and pour over the flour-scrape in all the liquid. Toss and mix with the fork until all the flour is moistened and starts to clump together. Gather the clumps with your hands or a plastic scraper, and knead them, right in the bowl, into one lump of dough.
• Turn the dough out onto the work surface, and continue kneading by hand for a couple of minutes. If it's stiff or crumbly, sprinkle over it more cold water, a teaspoonful at a time, and knead in. If it's wet or sticky, dust the work surface with a small amount of flour and knead in. When the dough is smooth, soft, and stretchy, press it into a disk, wrap well in plastic, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Mix the dough in the food processor if you prefer.)
• To roll the dough, lightly flour the rolling pin and wooden board (or other work surface). Cut the dough in half, and roll each piece to a thin rectangular sheet about 17 inches long and 8 inches wide, dusting with flour as needed.
• Set one sheet with the long side in front of you, and fold it over several times, to make a long, narrow rectangle. With a sharp knife, slice crosswise through the folded dough, at 1/2-inch intervals. Immediately separate and unfurl the cut pieces, opening them into ribbons 7 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Dust the tagliatelle with flour, and set them on a floured towel or tray. Repeat with the second rolled sheet. (If you prefer, roll the sheets with a pasta machine; pass them through the 1/2-inch-wide cutting attachment; and cut the strands into tagliatelle.) Keep the pasta covered so it doesn't dry out while the chickpeas stew.
• When the chickpeas are tender, scoop out the pieces of onion, carrot, and celery and the bay leaves with a slotted spoon and discard. The ceci should be covered with a bit of cooking liquid; add water if needed. Return to a bubbling simmer, and stir in the salt.
• Pour the 1/3 cup olive oil into the small saucepan, drop in the garlic cloves and peperoncino, and set over medium-high heat. Let the garlic sizzle and caramelize, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes.
• Put the tagliatelle in a colander, shake to remove excess flour, pick up a third of the strands, and drop them into the small saucepan, on top of the garlic. Quickly spread the tagliatelle so they're covered in hot oil. Let them heat and start sizzling without stirring. Immediately drop the rest of the tagliatelle on top of the simmering chickpeas, and stir in well. Raise the heat a bit, and bring back to the boil, stirring the pasta frequently.
• While the beans and tagliatelle boil gently in the big pot, shake the small pan occasionally so the hot oil flows over the frying tagliatelle. Turn them over with tongs if the oil doesn't cover the ribbons on top. Fry the tagliatelle until evenly golden brown and crisp, 4 minutes or so, then lift them out with tongs, draining off the oil, and lay on a warm plate.
• Now pour and scrape all the oil, caramelized garlic, and peperoncino from the small pan into the chickpea pot-the bean liquid will sizzle-and stir well. Cook for another couple of minutes, or until the boiling tagliatelle are soft and fully cooked. Adjust the salt to taste, and turn off the heat.
• Stir in another 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil (fresh and uncooked), scatter the fried tagliatelle on top of the chickpeas, sprinkle the parsley all over, and serve right away. Be sure to scoop some of the crisp tagliatelle into every portion.