Zuppa di Ceci
Super simple to make, this vegan soup is delicious and satisfying. If you don’t have time to pre-soak the chickpeas (which requires you to think ahead the day before), then it works with chickpeas from a jar. An amazing source of vegetable protein, chickpeas are full of fibre and iron. Combined with a really great extra virgin olive oil, this is brimming with goodness.
INGREDIENTS
300g dried chickpeas
1 celery stick
2 carrots
1 small white onion
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary
500ml vegetable stock
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we use monocultivar Rosciola for this soup from the Gregori brothers in Le Marche. It’s a brilliant pair for chickpeas
Salt and Pepper to taste
Some rye bread to accompany
METHOD
If you are soaking dried chickpeas, place them in a large bowl and cover with water by about 5-6cm and soak for around 12 hours. Make sure to check the water level because they absorb a lot.
Finely chop the celery, carrots, onions and gently sauté the mixture in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, two cloves of crushed garlic, a sprig of rosemary and two bay leaves.
Add the rehydrated and drained chickpeas, a handful of coarse salt and cover with the vegetable broth. Continue cooking for 50 minutes, being careful not to overcook the chickpeas otherwise they will fall apart, you are looking for them to remain slightly firm.
Once cooking is finished, remove the pan from the heat and with the help of a hand blender, blend the soup lightly, in order to make the broth thicker and taking care to leave most of the chickpeas intact. It just needs a very quick whizz.
Plate and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper and some rye bread croutons.