the freezer still is full of harvests from last summer (chard, french beans, …) and march definitely is the time to use up all stocks of vegetable before all the new fresh greens will grow in spring, which will approach very soon hopefully. but as we have snow again in berlin it is the right time for some soup, especially this aromatic and warming tuscan chickpea and chard soup.
tuscan kitchen is famous for its deliciousness and simplicity. and it is a kind of farmers cuisine, using ingredients which come directly from the field. ideal for everyone who tries to cook seasonal. but thanks to the modern fridges and freezers our palette is a bit broader.
the recipe is out of a tuscan cookbook my best friend gave to me as gift, inspired from her trip to italy last year. it is full of these rustic dishes and lovely stories about cooks, farmers, shepherds and cheese makers, beekeepers, tripe sellers and mushroom collectors and their hospitality. beaneaters & bread soup (also published in german: brotsuppe und bohnen) by lori de mori and jason lowe is by no means an insider’s tip any more, but maybe it will be a new future source of inspiration for some of you like it definitely will be for me in the next season. so you will meet beaneaters & bread soup again on foodiesgarden.
400 g chick peas, soaked over night and cooked
500 g chard
2 tbsp tomato purée
4 tsp olive oil
50 g pancetta
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 glove of garlic
1 branch of rosemary
4 chili
extra olive oil
the day before, put the chickpeas in a large pan and cover with water. let them soak over night. before cooking, strain the chickpeas, give them back into the large pan and add 2 liter of cold water. bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer the chickpeas for about 1 to 2 hours until soft. add salt only at the end of the cooking time.
remove half of the cooked chickpeas and set aside. blend the other half. add the chickpeas again and stir in the tomato purée.
chop the pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary. heat the olive oil in another pan. add all the chopped ingredients and sauté until the vegetables are soft. add the pancetta and vegetable mixture to the chickpeas and also add the chard. if you take frozen chard, it is better to defrost it before. season with some salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes.
wash the chilli and chop them, including their seeds. serve the soup with the chopped chili, some extra olive oil and bread.
enjoy!
********************
400 g kichererbsen, über nacht eingeweicht und gekocht
500 g mangold
2 el tomatenmark
4 tl olivenöl
50 g pancetta oder bauchspeck
1 zwiebel
1 karotte
1 selleriestange
1 knoblachzehe
1 zweig rosmarin
4 chilis
extra olivenöl
am vortag die kichererbsen in einen großen topf geben und mit wasser bedecken. über nacht einweichen lassen. vor dem kochen die kichererbsen abgießen, zurück in den topf geben und 2 liter kaltes wasser hinzugeben. zum kochen bringen, die hitze reduzieren und 1-2 stunden köcheln lassen bis die kichererbsen weich sind. erst zum ende der kochzeit salz hinzugeben.
die hälfte der kichererbsen aus dem topf nehmen und zur seite stellen. die andere hälfte der kichererbsen pürieren. die kichererbsen zum püree wieder dazugeben und das tomatenmark einrühren.
pancetta, zwiebel, karotte, sellerie und knoblauch in würfel schneiden und den rosmarin hacken. in einem weiteren topf das olivenöl erhitzen und alle zutaten garen bis sie weich sind. dann das pancetta und gemüse zu den kichererbsen geben und auch den mangold hinzufügen. tiefgekühlten mangold vorher besser auftauen lassen. mit salz und pfeffer würzen und 30 minuten köcheln lassen.
die chilis waschen und inklusive kernen fein hacken. die suppe mit den gehackten chilis, extra olivenöl und frischem weißbrot servieren.
guten appetit!
