Tom wrote to ask for a chestnut and chickpea soup from L'Acquila, in the Abruzzo. I haven't come across it, but I have found this recipe for chick pea soup. To make Abruzzese-style chickpea soup for six, you'll need:
Prep Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) chickpeas
- 5 ounces (125 g) bread crumbs, sautéed until golden in olive oil
- A bay leaf
- A clove of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- A pinch of sodium bicarbonate (optional)
Preparation:
Soak the chickpeas overnight in lightly salted water, adding a pinch of sodium bicarbonate if you want -- it hastens the cooking of the chickpeas, but leaves an aftertaste many find offputting.
Drain the beans and put them in a pot with fresh water to cover by a palmspan, a little salt, the bay leaf, the clove of garlic, and a little olive oil. Cover and simmer for at least two hours, or until the chickpeas are soft.
A few minutes before serving the soup, stir in the bread crumbs and heat them through. Serve, with, if you want, a pepper grinder.
Were I to undertake chestnut and chickpea soup, I'd cook chickpeas per the second recipe, and add them whole to the first.
Yield: 6 servings Abruzzese-Style chick pea soup.
Drain the beans and put them in a pot with fresh water to cover by a palmspan, a little salt, the bay leaf, the clove of garlic, and a little olive oil. Cover and simmer for at least two hours, or until the chickpeas are soft.
A few minutes before serving the soup, stir in the bread crumbs and heat them through. Serve, with, if you want, a pepper grinder.
Were I to undertake chestnut and chickpea soup, I'd cook chickpeas per the second recipe, and add them whole to the first.
Yield: 6 servings Abruzzese-Style chick pea soup.
