FIRST COURSE
From Lorraine Hough and Jon Solomon of Blue Spring Farm
Adapted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpeas, soaked
- 1 carrot
- 1 head garlic, sliced in half
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Handful of parsley sprigs
- Salt and pepper
- 4—5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 good sprig dried thyme
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Big bunch of spinach (stems removed and leaves washed)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup coarse breadcrumbs moistened with 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation
Drain chickpeas and mix with carrot, garlic, bay leaves, oregano and parsley, plus 3 quarts of water. Simmer until chickpeas are tender. Drain the cooked chickpeas; set aside aromatics for soup stock or your chickens.
Heat oil in a pan. Add onions, oregano and thyme until softened (probably about 10—15 minutes). Add garlic and cook just until it begins to brown. Transfer these ingredients to a pot with strained chickpeas and 6 cups of water; simmer for 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
For a smoother consistency, puree two cups of the cooked chickpeas prior to cooking.
Cook spinach in a pan; add to chickpea mixture. Cook for 2—3 minutes; add lemon juice. Salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls topped with breadcrumbs and a little drizzle of olive oil.
About this recipe
HELPFUL HINT
To keep a bean’s skin or “seed coat,” soak dried beans in a salt-and-water brine, instead of plain water. (Ratio: 1 pound dried beans to 3 quarts water and 3 tablespoons fine ground salt.) It will result in a more aesthetically pleasing dish, with added nutrients and fiber.
CHEF’S VARIATION:
We just couldn’t bear to strain out the chickpeas— and we don’t have chickens—so we kept them in. For a creamier consistency, we recommend using an immersion blender at the end.
