FRESHPASTA
Threequartersofthegoldendurum-wheat
pastadoughis rolledoutandcutintowide,
noodle-likestripsbeforeit’sboiled.Puristswill
cookthepastainthechickpeabroth,butfora
lessstarchyresult,it canbecookedseparately.
FRIEDPASTA
Friedpastawasoriginallyadded
tomimicthetextureofmeat
duringtimesofscarcity.Tomake
it, thinstripsarehand-cutfromthe
remainingquarterofdough,and
friedin oliveoil.They’rethenpiled
ontothefinisheddishfortextural
contrast.A finalflourishofgrated
parmesanwilltakeit upa notch.
CHICKPEAS
Driedchickpeasare
soakedovernight
andsimmereduntil
tenderovera low
heatina soffritto-
basedbroth
flavouredwithgarlic
andbayleaves.
We’vealsoadded
pancettatoupthe
savourygoodness.
Achickpeaandpastadishborn
from poverty but full of richness.
Ciceri e tria
C
haracterisedascucinapovera,cicerie tira
is a masterclassintransforminghumble
ingredients.Stewedchickpeasarecombined
witha double-whammyofpasta– supple
ribbonsoffreshtagliatelleandcrispfriedstrands
cutfromthesamedough– in a unionofgrainsand
pulses.Todaythedish,whosenameis inparta legacy
ofArabruleoverApulia,standsasa symbolofSalento,
theregionthatformstheheelofItaly’sboot.Intrue
Italianstyle,therecipevariesaccordingtoregional
differencesandfamilytraditions, buthoweveryou
cutit,it’stheplayoftexturesandthesavourydepth
that are the most important. It’s a si from us.
DonPeppino’sinSydneykeepthisdishintheirback
pocketasa special.Theirtakefeaturespastashells
madewitha doughofsemolinaandchickpeaflour,
which are topped with a soffritto and crisp-fried pasta.
Find
one
Anatomy of a dish
42 GOURMET TRAVELLER
WORDS
MADELEINE
BENTLEY.
PHOTOGRAPHY
WILL
HORNER.
STYLING LISA FEATHERBY. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.