GRAMIGNA WITH SPINACH, CHICKPEAS, AND BACON

Gramigna with Spinach, Chickpeas, and Bacon image

Categories Bacon Spinach Chickpea Simmer Boil

Yield serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus 1 tablespoon for the pasta pot
3 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut in matchstick strips
1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1-pound can ceci, drained and rinsed
3 cups tender spinach leaves, rinsed and trimmed
1 pound gramigna pasta
1 cup freshly grated authentic Italian pecorino
Recommended Equipment
A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger

Steps:

Start heating 6 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon of salt in a large pot. (If it comes to a rolling boil while you are cooking the dressing, you can drop in the gramigna to cook at the same time or wait until you've added the spinach, as described below.)
Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into the skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Strew the garlic slices in the oil, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Scatter the pancetta or bacon strips in the pan, stir, and cook for 3 minutes or so, to render their fat. (If the pork is very lean and releases little fat, add more olive oil to the skillet.) Sprinkle in the peperoncino.
When the pancetta is sizzling, dump in the chickpeas. Stir and toss them for a minute or so, then scatter the spinach leaves on top. Turn and toss as the leaves wilt in the heat. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt; ladle about 1/2 cup of boiling pasta water into the pan, and simmer the beans and greens for a couple of minutes. If the gramigna are not already cooking, turn off the heat and cover the skillet to keep the dressing hot until the pasta is ready.
Boil the gramigna until al dente, lift the pasta from the pot, drain briefly, and drop into the skillet of ceci and spinach, which should be simmering. Toss together for a minute or two, or longer if necessary, until the gramigna are amalgamated with the dressing. If the dish is dry, ladle in a bit of hot pasta water from the cooking pot. If there's too much liquid, reduce by tossing rapidly over high heat.
Take the skillet off the heat, toss the pecorino in, and drizzle a final flourish of olive oil over the gramigna. Serve right away.