LIDIA'S ITALY - CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

LIDIA'S ITALY - CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS image

Number Of Ingredients 14

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1 pound dried chickpeas
½ cup dried porcini, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 celery stalks with leaves, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons oregano leaves, or fresh marjoram leaves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles, stripped from the branch
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Coarse sea salt, kosher salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, (such as porcini, or cremini), cleaned and sliced
Freshly grated Grana Padano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

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 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 and all the herb sprigs 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 over medium-high heat. Scrape in all of the pestata and cook 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, pour this into the soup too. Simmer soup perk for about an hour, uncovered, to develop flavor and reduce slightly. Add the sliced mushrooms and another teaspoon salt, simmer and reduce for another hour or until the chickpeas are tender and broth has thickened slightly. Ladle portions of hot soup into warm bowls, sprinkle with freshly grated grana and oil.