Leonardo Romanelli's Pasta e Ceci, or Chickpea and Pasta Soup

The night before you make the soup, rinse the chickpeas well, remove any stones you may find, and set them to soak in abundant cold water to cover.

The next day, start by filling a pot with cold water. Salt it with about a tablespoon of coarse-grained sea salt (Kosher will be fine), add a clove of garlic, and the chickpeas, and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender -- depending upon how fresh the chickpeas are, this will take from 1 to 3 hours.

Leonardo doesn't peel the clove, because he finds the garlic flavors from a peeled clove too strong in this case.