It seems like a long time since I last wrote about food. I must admit that it hasn't been at the forefront of my mind as of late; that spot has been usurped by various projects, some of them I already talked about, others I will. However, something I had in mind in the middle of summer was the most lovely chickpea soup there is, the one that my grandma used to make. For this you will need the very best chickpeas you can find, the sort that swell as they cook and become big and juicy, alas not something I have found. So I used run-of-the-mill supermarket chickpeas which I soaked overnight in plenty of water and bicarb but I can tell you, it just was not the same.
You'll need:
250g dried chickpeas
1 tbsp plain flour
1 glug of olive oil
3 white onions
fresh rosemary tied in a bunch (use white cotton thread for this, not blue garden string à la Bridget Jones!)
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of tepid water and a tablespoon of bicarb of soda. Rinse well and place in a large saucepan. Now add olive oil and one tablespoon of flour. Stir well, turn the heat on, add plentiful cold water, sea salt, the onions and the rosemary and wait for the chickpeas to come to the boil.
They will foam, therefore remove this as it appears on the surface of the water. Failure to do so will result in some mighty mess on, and especially off, the pan. Fast boil for ten minutes, now lower the heat to medium and keep simmering for approximately 90 minutes. Serve with some Parmesan on top and also with an extra glug of oil if you like.
I know it seems like a lot of waiting hassle for a soup, but you'll only think this way until you make it!
