Rosemary-Flavored Chickpea and Spinach (or beets greens) Soup (Zuppa di Ceci con Spinaci)

Ingredients

• This Italian recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian cookbook.
• 1 cup dried chickpeas or 3 cups frozen or canned
• chickpeas
• Salt
• ½ lb. fresh spinach or beet greens, washed
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig or 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• pounded into a powder
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 (3/4-in-thick) slices good crusty bread
• 4 tsp. fruity extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. If using dried chickpeas: Pick over chickpeas and wash in several changes of water. Drain. Cover with 5 cups water and soak overnight. Drain. Or, try using the quick-soak method: http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/the-faster-way-to-soak-beans-for-cooking
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the spinach or beet greens and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly, squeezing out as much liquid as possible and chop finely. (Cool the greens down with cool water, and then squeeze out excess water.) Put the 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium pot and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the garlic and onion. Stir and sauté until the onion is translucent; turn the heat down if necessary to prevent browning. Now add the drained chickpeas and the greens and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the 6 cups of water and rosemary and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook gently for 1 to 3 hours, or until the chickpeas are very tender. If using cooked and frozen or canned chickpeas you can use 3 cups of water and cook for 30-35 minutes. (Alternatively you can do the sautéing in a pressure cooker, then put in the drained chickpeas,rosemary, and 4 cups of water, cover, and bring up to pressure. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Reduce the pressure.) Discard the rosemary sprig. Skim off the skins of the chickpeas that are loosened or floating around (optional, these are a good source of fiber). Slowly add the tomato paste your vegetables stock index will. Add this mixture to the soup and mix. Taste for salt and add what you need. Add some black pepper as well. Mix again. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes to blend all the flavors. (All this may be done in advance.) Just before serving, heat the soup. Toast the slices of bread and put them at the bottom of 4 soup plates. Ladle the soup over the toast and drizzle a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the top of each serving.
3. Serves 4.