Cavatelli with chickpeas and ribs. A unique and delicious first course.
On long winter evenings, the harvest from the garden was consumed, carefully preserved in anticipation of the land’s rest period during the cold season.
When legumes were enriched with pork ribs, just the thought of it was a great celebration.
The ritual began the night before, soaking the chickpeas.
It was the final act of the long journey of a legume I’ve always loved: I still remembered when, as small green pods, I would pop them between my fingers to savor a few.
The plants were fuzzy and prickly to the touch; they were then harvested at full maturity, when at the end of the growing season under the hot July sun they became yellow and dry. To shell them, it required beating with a stick;
this task was reserved precisely for me in collaboration with my sister Michela. And naturally, between work and play, the required time would double; especially when it was necessary to sift to clean from the last vegetable residues, with the help of the wind.
Since some part inevitably ended up on the ground, requiring a restart. But the arrival of mom was all it took for the task to take on serious tones.
After the overnight soak, the chickpeas were ready to cook.
And while the pot on the fire completed the cooking, the handmade pasta was prepared. Sometimes eggs were used, other times water was enough;
for this seasoning, rustic cavatelli were the ideal shape: tenacious in cooking and ready to capture every flavor with their little dents.
Finally, while the pasta dried a little, the pork ribs were browned together with a good sauté.
The beginning was always the same: sometimes it was deglazed with red wine and finally the chickpeas were added, to finish building the right softness.
Everything was left to cook in a corner of the low fireplace, specifically made to facilitate the women of the house in preparing and watching over the fire.
Then in the evening, after a cold and intense day, this hot first course, rich in aromas, was brought to the table. Between simple words to recount the days, interspersed with long silences, breath was regained consuming this rich soup, made of work and life.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring, All Seasons
Ingredients
Noble ingredients of the past from pork ribs to garden beans with fresh pasta.
- 10 1/2 oz remilled durum wheat semolina
- as needed water (lukewarm. To knead the semolina)
- 17 1/2 oz cooked chickpeas
- 8 pork ribs (Trimmed and cut individually)
- as needed sauté mix
- 1 coffee cup red wine
- 2 pinches roast herbs (thyme, rosemary)
- as needed olive oil
- as needed salt
Steps
Sauté the mix for the sauté together with the ribs and add the herbs; then splash with the red wine.
Let it evaporate and add the previously boiled chickpeas with an aromatic bundle. Let it cook for about two hours.
In the meantime, knead the semolina with the lukewarm water until you obtain a smooth dough. Let it rest for about thirty minutes in a closed container to prevent the pasta from drying out. Create rolls about 1/3 inch in diameter and form the cavatelli.
Then cook them in salted boiling water, leaving them slightly al dente. Transfer to the pot with chickpeas and ribs; two minutes to let this simple dish absorb the flavors and serve, completing the dish with a rib.
Possibly a grind of black pepper and off to the table!
A Few More Tips
I try not to use canned products; I prefer to buy dried chickpeas and cook them directly. If you prefer, you can use canned chickpeas.
You can also add a small red chili pepper during the browning stage. This is a first course typically dedicated to the cold season, but always pleasant to consume.
