Pettole (Pasta) with Chickpeas

By Neapolitan Chef Angelo Guida.

Enjoy this traditional and hard-to-find recipe in restaurants, possibly on our tour in Campania region, or on one of our cooking classes in Massachusetts, or try it at home using only a few ingredients!

Ingredients for Pettole (homemade pasta) for 4 people:

• 120 gr (1 cup) of all purpose flour
• 40 gr (1/3 cup) of semolina 
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 gallon water
• 1 Tbsp salt 

Directions: 

• Make a small "mountain" with 2 types of flour mixed together, then a "little crater" in the middle where you beat the eggs
• Knead to get your dough smooth and homogeneous. Adjust consistency as necessary–I.E. add one more egg if too dry or more flour if too moist
• Make thin sheet of pasta dough with a rolling pin, and cut it in irregular shapes no more than 1.5 inches long
• Bring water to a boil and then add salt (the water should taste slightly salty)
• Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes
• Drain it and add the pasta in the chickpea sauce to cook for 1-2 minutes (make sure that is not too dry, add regular water if needed) 
• See instructions below for the sauce and for plating

Ingredients for sauce with chickpeas:

• 3 cups of chickpeas (or Garbanzo beans) from a can or soak dried chickpeas overnight and then cook them in advance
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of EVOO
• 4 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley
• salt and pepper as you like (this is Chef Angelo’s style…..taste your food and you decide what you prefer!)

Directions: 

• In a large pot cook the minced garlic with EVOO until is golden-brown
• Add the chickpeas and 4 cups of water
• Let it simmer for 30/40 mins and make sure that the water doesn’t evaporate too much. Add more if needed  
• Adjust to your taste for salt and pepper  
• Serve on individual plates, sprinkling some parsley, some of the remaining black pepper and drizzling some EVOO on top

Buon appetito!