Best Ligurian Chickpea And Porcini Soup Recipes

CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Chickpea Soup with Porcini Mushrooms image

This hearty vegetarian soup gets superb flavor and texture from the long-cooking chickpeas and dried and fresh mushrooms. But the secret to the great taste is the paste (pestata) of aromatic vegetables and herbs, ground in the food processor. Before adding it to the soup however, you give the pestata even more flavor by browning it in a skillet-which makes it, in culinary Italian, a soffritto. As you will see in the coming pages, this pestata/soffritto step is used in many Maremma recipes, in sauces and stews as well as soups. In the country, such a soup is often served with grilled bread, making a whole meal. Adding rice or small pasta to the soup pot during the final 10 minutes of cooking is another way to enhance it. Or drop some good Italian sausages into soup for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Slice them right into the soup, or serve the sausages separately as a second course.

Yield makes 5 to 6 quarts, serving 12 or more

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 pound dried chickpeas
1/2 ounce (about 1/2 cup) 1/2-inch pieces dried porcini
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 or 2 tender celery stalks with leaves, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup fresh flat Italian-parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or oregano leaves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles, stripped from the branch
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms (such as porcini, shiitake, cremini, and common white mushrooms), cleaned and sliced
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil, best quality, for serving
A heavy-bottomed soup-or stockpot, 8-quart capacity or larger
A food processor
A large skillet for cooking the pestata

Steps:

Rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a bowl with enough cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Let soak for 12 to 24 hours in a cool place.
Drain and rinse the beans, put them in the soup pot with 5 quarts of fresh cold water, and bring to the boil over high heat. Drop in the dried porcini pieces, partially cover the pot, and adjust the heat to maintain steady but gentle bubbling while you prepare the pestata.
Put the onion, garlic, celery, all the herbs, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the work bowl of the food processor. Process to chop everything to small bits, scrape down the bowl, and process again into a finely minced paste.
Pour the olive oil into the skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Scrape and stir in all of the pestata, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to color and stick to the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes.
Scrape the paste into the boiling soup. Slosh a cup or two of the soup liquid into the skillet to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom; pour this into the soup too. Now let the soup perk along steadily for about an hour, uncovered, to develop flavor and reduce slightly.
Dump in all the sliced mushrooms and another teaspoon salt, stir well, and let the soup bubble and reduce for another hour, or until the chickpeas are tender and the broth has thickened slightly with a velvety sheen. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away, or let it cool and use later.
Ladle portions of hot soup into warm bowls, sprinkle freshly grated cheese over, and give each portion a flourish of excellent olive oil. Pass more cheese at the table.

LIGURIAN CHICKPEA AND PORCINI SOUP

Ligurian Chickpea and Porcini Soup image

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 ounces , chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 rib medium celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 cups cooked dried or drained canned chickpeas
8 ounces swiss chard, cut crosswise into narrow strips
1 medium boiling potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped fresh or canned tomato
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup ditalini, tubetti, or other small pasta

Steps:

1 Soak the mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes. Remove them and reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water to remove any grit. Chop them coarsely. Strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter into a bowl. 2 Pour the oil into a large pot. Add the pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the onion and other aromatics are golden, about 10 minutes. 3 Stir in the chickpeas, Swiss chard, potato, tomatoes, and mushrooms with their liquid. Add water to just cover the ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the soup is thickened, about 1 hour. Add water if the soup becomes too thick. 4 Stir in the pasta and 2 more cups water. Cook, stirring often, about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Let cool slightly before serving. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves