Spinach and Chickpea Soup

Name: Spinach and Chickpea Soup
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 pound dried chickpeas or about 2 cups cooked; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1 quart beef, chicken, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162), or water; 1 pound fresh spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped; Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

December 14, 2011

Most people seem to adore chickpeas, and one of their strongest attributes is that, unlike other dried legumes, they produce delicious cooking liquid. So if you lack stock for this dish, don’t worry about it. But—and this is true for the several chickpea recipes that follow as well as this one—the cooking time for chickpeas is unpredictable. Cook the beans the day before you plan to make the soup if at all possible, or at least soak them for several hours to reduce the cooking time (or, in a pinch, use canned chickpeas). Once they’re done, the cooking time is just a few minutes. If you are so inclined, this soup remains equally authentic and becomes more substantial if you add 1/2 to 1 pound browned sausage chunks. You can brown the sausage right before the onions, in the same skillet.

Recipe notes

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