Pasta and Chicken

"When I first tried pasta e ceci, I fell in love and couldn't stop making it for months. The taste and texture are incredibly comforting, and at the risk of offending our Italian relatives, I compare its soothing properties to that of whole beans on toast. Depending on where you are in Italy, pasta e ceci varies drastically from region to region. In the poorer south, it is found in its purest form, made with eggless semolina pasta, chickpeas, and perhaps a little tomato. But as you move north, to the wealthier and more affluent regions, anchovies, rich egg pasta, and large chunks of pancetta are added to the soffritto base. I love it in all of these forms, especially with good pancetta, and depending on the weather and what's in the fridge, I often throw in some of these luxurious extras. But for this book, I thought I'd show you how good it can be in its most humble form. My only request is that you use good quality cooked chickpeas."

Excerpt from the work Farm table Text copyright © 2023 Julius Roberts. Photographs copyright © 2023 Elena Heatherwick, except where noted. Illustrations copyright © 2023 Jethro Buck. Published by Ten Speed ​​Press, a division of Crown Publishing Group.