Chickpea and Soup Tagliolini

Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl, cover them with salted water, and let them soak overnight. Once soaked, check to see if they've absorbed water and expanded in volume: this step reduces cooking time and promotes a more tender, uniform texture.

Drain the chickpeas, rinse them thoroughly under running water, and remove any visible skins. Transfer them to a large pot: the legumes should be clean and ready for prolonged cooking in their broth.

Cover the chickpeas completely with water, then add the finely chopped onion, the wild fennel whole and the pancetta fresh cut into cubes of about 3 cm (1.18 in). Bring the liquid to the boil, then lower the heat to maintain a low boil.

Cover the pot and let it cook slowly, adding more water from time to time when the water level decreases. Continue cooking until the chickpeas are tender when pressed with a fork and the pancetta it is well cooked; the bottom should remain soupy, not dry.

Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a shallow pan and add it clove of garlic and the chili pepper. Heat over medium heat until the garlic releases its aroma without darkening: the soffritto It must be aromatic and delicately golden, never burnt.

Pour the soffritto Add the almost cooked chickpeas to the pot and stir carefully. Let it boil again to distribute the oil and herbs into the broth; the liquid should appear smooth and fragrant, with the pancetta well mixed with the soup.

Add the tagliolini Homemade chickpeas are almost cooked through. Stir gently to separate them and cook them in the broth until tender but still firm; check the consistency, which should remain that of a thin soup.

Add the chopped parsley towards the end of cooking and season with salt to tasteStir briefly, turn off the heat when the pasta is cooked and the aroma of the herbs is evident, then serve the soup piping hot with the broth still runny.