Ugly Cicerchie

Here's our favorite way to serve this humble legume. We don't really have a name for this recipe and, we cannot tell a lie, it's not pretty. But it's so tasty that we don't think you'll object.

Ingredients

1 pound of cicerchie from Bartolini (1 bag)

1 carrot

2 stalks of celery

1 onion, halved

1 head of garlic, halved

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, minced

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4" strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup tomato sauce (you can use mashed canned tomatoes here too)

salt and pepper

chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil, for garnish

Instructions

Start this the night before. Place the cicerchie in a bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Soak for 12 hours.

Fill a soup pot with water and place the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf and drained cicerchie in the pot and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 25 - 30 minutes or until the cicerchie are tender. Reserve one cup of the liquid for use later. Remove vegetables and bay leaf, drain and set aside.

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the bacon and onion and saute until the onion is translucent and the bacon is cooked, but not crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce and lower the heat to low - let simmer for 10 minutes.

Take about 1/3 of the cicerchie and place in another small bowl. Using the back of a fork or a spoon, or using a coarse mesh strainer, mash the cicerchie and stir into the sauce. Let simmer and thicken for 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the cicerchie and, if needed, add a little of the reserved cooking liquid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Serve with crusty bread and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil.