Chickpea Soup w/ Rosemary & Ditalini


With "snowmageddon" dumping 3 feet of snow on us this weekend, there is nothing more comforting (for me, anyway), than making a stew or soup when you are housebound for a few days.


I baked 2 cakes, made a big pot of soup and a beef stew. I cleaned out the freezer and fridge, and the cupboards are now bare.
Time to restock.

This is one of my favorite soups of all time, besides lentil.

There is something about pureed chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) that my taste buds love.

Of course, soaking dried chickpeas overnight is the best way to prepare this soup, but a can is much easier when I decide I want to make this soup.

I like to add in some chopped Italian salami bits for flavor. Spanish chorizo would work too.

I start all my soups with a basic mirepoix.
Carrots, celery, onion. Garlic is optional, but this soup asks for it.

Fresh rosemary, still thriving on my window sill.


and fresh parsley, still alive in my garage.


Homemade chicken stock, if you have it (always better than store bought), but boxed or canned will do too.
I am easy today.

The basic recipe is from The Splendid Table, however, I add in my twists.

What is ditalini? you ask.

It is a small tubular pasta, the perfect size for soup.

This is such a comforting soup on a cold winter day. It will be your favorite too.

Chickpea Soup w/ Rosemary & Ditalini:

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a small piece of Italian salami or chorizo, chopped (about a handful)
leaves from 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup ditalini (uncooked)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for the top

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions, rosemary, garlic, carrots, celery and salami bits on medium heat for about 6 minutes, until onion is translucent.


Add in the chickpeas and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove half the solids to another bowl or blender (careful with the hot liquid), and puree. I use a stick immersion blender.


Place the puree back into the pot with the solids.

Bring the soup back to a boil and add in the dried pasta. Cook about 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Season w/ salt and pepper to taste.


Garnish w/ grated Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley.

58 days till spring, and counting.

Comments

www.partiesandpearls.blogspot.com said…
This looks delicious! I too cooked up a storm this weekend-- made chicken soup, bbq brisket, babka, and homemade ravioli. Good way to avoid shoveling.
Ciao Chow Linda said…
I've got a bag of imported chickpeas in my cupboard just calling out for a soup this flavorful. This is the week to make it for sure.
Anonymous said…
My tip -

When making soup, I leave carrots out of the mirepoix, and instead slice them into GOODFELLAS THIN half moons (so that they can cook super quick) and add them at the end of cooking - with just enough time to soften up.

Why? I like to preserve the beautiful bright color of carrot as much as possible, and although they need to be completely soft thru, I want to avoid any touch of mush.

But that's just me! :o)
Natalia said…
This chickpea soup looks fantastic for a cold winter day. I'm not very patient, so if I decided to make this today, ok to use canned chickpeas?