This simple but hearty and delicious Umbrian wild pea soup is made with a legume I had actually never heard of until recently! Roveja peas are an exceptionally tasty ancient wild legume from the Sibillini mountain range on the border between Umbria and Le Marche. Of course you can also make this easy and nutritious pasta soup with other legumes such as chickpeas or lentils.
Zuppa di roveja con pasta.
A couple of weeks ago friends who live in Norcia, Umbria came to visit. They brought a boxful of local goodies with them. Norcia is famous for its sausages, hams and other cured meats. I was thrilled that their ‘gift box’ included a beautiful side of guanciale, some wild boar sausages and some fresh pork sausages. And yes, I have used some of these in pasta recipes which I’ll be sharing here on The Pasta Project very soon!
However, they also brought a bag full of dried beans and other legumes and cereals, including a unique legume, most commonly called roveja in Italian, but also known as roveglia, roveggia, rubiglio or pisello dei campi. This is the legume I used in this Umbrian wild pea soup recipe.
Umbria is famous for its legumes and cereals. The Umbrian kitchen is very rustic and lentils, chickpeas, cicerchie (wild chickpeas), borlotti beans, cannellini beans and pearl spelt and barley are all staples in the local diet. Of course, I am familiar with all these foods, but I had never heard of roveja wild peas before!
What are roveja wild peas?
As it turns out, roveja peas are a rather rare and relatively unknown type of Umbrian wild field pea. They do actually look like small peas but are dark brown, reddish or dark green in colour. Some researchers believe Roveja is an ancestor of the common pea, while others claim it is a true species.
The Roveja pea is a very ancient wild pea, originally from Western Asia. It was wild harvested or grown for centuries on high altitude terrain in the Sibillini mountains in Umbria and Le Marche, where it was part of the staple diet of the local shepherds and farmers. It was also much appreciated by the Ancient Romans and Greeks.
However, these wild field peas almost completely disappeared from tables with the introduction of mechanical harvesting. The long stalks of roveja plants tend to lie on the ground, making it impossible for threshing machines to harvest them. Even today, the crops are scythed manually. However, nowadays, the Roveja pea is enjoying a resurgence through a Slow Food Ark of Taste status that encourages its use and preservation.
This Umbrian wild pea pasta soup.
Since roveja peas are relatively unknown outside of the area they come from, finding recipes for them wasn’t so easy. In Umbria, they are used mostly in soups, like this Umbrian wild pea soup with casarecce. I also found a delicious recipe for roveja peas with guanciale, pecorino and bread gnocchi which I will be publishing soon. However, this pasta soup was the first dish I made with roveja and it was so so tasty! Easy to make too!
Apart from the legumes, all you need is a couple of potatoes, onions, rosemary, some vegetable broth and some pasta. Of course, finding roveja for this Umbrian wild pea soup is not easy but you can substitute the peas with chickpeas, lentils or beans.
The most time consuming part of this Umbrian wild pea soup recipe is preparing the legumes. Roveja peas can only be bought dried, not canned. So, this means you will need to soak them overnight and then boil for about an hour before making the soup.
The Pasta.
This Umbrian wild pea soup recipe can be with any small pasta shape. The recipe I followed called for ditalini. But, since I didn’t have any of that pasta, I used one of my favourite shapes, casarecce. To be more precise, I used fusillata casareccia by a company called Di Martino from Gragnano, Naples.
Di Martino is one of the most well-known producers of pasta di Gragnano IGP. I got this pasta when I was invited to lunch at the Di Martino pasta bar in Naples earlier this year. In Italy, the IGP certification for food is a bit like saying DOC for wine.
Gragnano is a town near Naples where dried pasta has been produced for around 500 years! Nowadays, there are about 15 companies producing pasta di Gragnano IGP. If you’d like to know more about this type of pasta, do read my post about my visit there. I was invited to Gragnano by Pastificio dei Campi , a prestigious pasta company which is part of the Di Martino group.
Whichever pasta you choose to make this delicious Umbrian wild pea soup recipe with, I’m sure you’ll love this simple rustic dish! It’s easy to make and very tasty and nutritious. You can also make this Umbrian pea soup with homemade casarecce.
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If you do try this Umbrian wild pea soup and pasta recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
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Umbrian Wild Pea Soup with Casarecce Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 g Umbrian wild peas (roveja) or chickpeas/ lentils soaked overnight and boiled for one hour. (7oz)
- 100 g casarecce pasta (3.5oz) or other soup pasta
- 2 potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 Lt vegetable stock (4 cups) homemade or store bought.
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
- Leave the Umbrian wild peas (roveja) to soak for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Boil the roveja in lightly salted water for about 1 hour. Then save some of the cooking water and drain (you can use chickpeas or lentils instead)
- Peel and chop the onion. Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Fry the onion in the olive oil in a deep pan or Dutch oven until it starts to soften. Add the rosemary and potatoes and sauté with the onions for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the boiled roveja and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add some of the roveja cooking water and the vegetable stock and when it comes to the boil stir and add the pasta.
- Cook for as long as it takes for the pasta to be al dente. If you need more liquid add some more vegetable stock or roveja cooking water. Serve immediately with some grated pecorino if required.
Beth says
I love how you highlight recipe items that I've never heard of. I'd enjoy having the variety of legumes and other ingredients that you write about - it seems such an adventure.
Sonila says
I hadn't heard the word guanciale in over 20 years, it's funny how the brain stores certain information. But that's besides the point!! I love your recipe for umbrian wild peas casarecce pasta!! So beautiful!! Love learning so much from your blog:)
Kacie says
Yummy! Looks like a scrumptious soup and I bet it's pretty filling too. I have finally got my first trip to Italy set up - I will be in Friuli Venezia Giulia in March 🙂
Jacqui says
Yes this is a very hearty soup Kacie. It can be made with other legumes too of course! How exciting that you are coming to Italy in March. Whereabouts in Friuli Venezia Giulia will you be? It would be super to meet up!
Stine Mari says
I've never tried wild peas before, but I would love to try it. This recipe looks absolutely scrumptious.
The Pasta Project says
I think you would love them!
Simone says
You always have the most creative, interesting & delicious looking recipes! Thanks for sharing all your great creations!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you so much, Simone! Italian food makes it very easy!
Farrukh Aziz says
What a lovely winter meal to feast on! Looking forward to try it soon as my kids love pastas so much. Thanks for sharing 🙂
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Farrukh!
Patrice says
I've never tried roveja peas before so I'm looking forward to trying this. We eat a lot of pasta and Italian dishes and it's always fun to find something new and different!
The Pasta Project says
I hope that you get your hands on some Patrice!
Jere Cassidy says
You always provide such great information, even though I will never find these peas to use I just love reading your posts.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Jere! I love the history and tradition.
Analida Braeger says
I love the background and history of the peas! This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Analida.
Amanda says
I've never had pea soup with pasta, but that's such a great addition to add some heartiness. Definitely plan on staying warm with this soup during the chilly months. Thanks for sharing!
The Pasta Project says
This is a perfect winter warmer Amanda!
yasmin says
M family loved this for tonight's dinner! I will be making again!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Yasmin! I am so glad it was a hit!
Christen says
I'm definitely pinning this for later! How have I never heard of these peas before? This looks so hearty and perfect for this cold weather.
The Pasta Project says
They're quite rare, though obviously locals know them well!
Erika says
I've never cooked with Umbrian wild peas before, but I need to try it. This dish looks delicious.
The Pasta Project says
I hope you get some and try it out, Erika!
Tamara J says
This is a big bowl of comfort! The pasta mixed with the legumes make for a delicious flavor profile. I’m going to add this to the menu now that it is starting to cool down a bit!
The Pasta Project says
It is perfect for the cold weather. Filling, nutritious and tasty!
Veena Azmanov says
This is such an healthy meal. This soup is different . The combinations are yum. Best for the winters.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Veena!
Katie says
Made this for the family and we all loved it! Perfect for rainy days.
The Pasta Project says
I am so glad to hear that, Katie.
Ashley says
What a lovely recipe, with hearty wild peas and Italian pasta! Yum!!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Ashley!
Anita says
This looks so good and so comforting. I don't have umbrian wild peas, but I do have plenty of chickpeas and lentils at home, so I'm going to try using those first. 🙂
The Pasta Project says
That's a perfect substitution Anita!
Krissy Allori says
This looks absolutely delicious. I'm going to be trying it out soon. Hopefully I can find the peas you make it with.
The Pasta Project says
You can use chickpeas, lentils or beans if you can't find the peas 🙂
Sandi says
I could drool over this recipe for eons...I think I had this when I was in Italy years ago. It looks amazing.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Sandi!