Chickpea Soup With Porcini Mushrooms Recipes

ONE-POT FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan with about 2 1/2 cups water to a boil over high and place mushrooms in 2-cup glass measuring cup. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms to fill the cup (a little less than 2 cups) and set aside.
• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in oil and onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Turn heat up to medium-high, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
• Add fennel and leeks, season again, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
• Remove lid, increase heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the buildup on the bottom of the pot threatens to burn. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Scoop the mushrooms out of their liquid, reserving liquid and chop mushrooms finely. Add chopped mushrooms, wine, thyme sprigs and bay leaf to the pot. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until wine is mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add reserved mushroom liquid to the pot, pouring the liquid slowly and discarding the last few drops of liquid, which may contain grit. Pour in the stock and demi-glace, if using, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any residue. Reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Fit the toasted bread on the surface of the soup in an even layer, breaking them up as needed to cover the surface. Sprinkle with the Gruyère and Parmesan. Set the Dutch oven on a baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven until the cheese is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Heat oven to broil and continue cooking until cheese is melted and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

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 dried 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, all the herbs, and 1 teaspoon of the salt 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, and set over medium-high heat. Scrape and stir in all of the pestata, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently, 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, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom; pour this into the soup too. Now let the soup perk along steadily for about an hour, uncovered, to develop flavor and reduce slightly.
• Dump in all the sliced mushrooms and another teaspoon salt, stir well, and let the soup bubble and reduce for another hour, or until the chickpeas are tender and the broth has thickened slightly with a velvety sheen. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away, or let it cool and use later.
• Ladle portions of hot soup into warm bowls, sprinkle freshly grated cheese over, and give each portion a flourish of excellent olive oil. Pass more cheese at the table.

CHICKPEA SOUP I

Steps:

• In a saucepan, warm oil over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic, and sweet potatoes; saute 5 minutes.
• Stir in broth, bay leaf, basil, thyme, and paprika. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Simmer until vegetables are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in tomato, green beans, and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

PASTA E CECI (ITALIAN PASTA AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red-pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the tomatoes and the chickpeas, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or spatula and smashing about 1/2 cup of the beans.
• Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. The water will mostly be absorbed by the pasta, but if you prefer it brothier, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup water and simmer until warmed through, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the escarole and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

LIDIA'S ITALY - CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

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.

MUSHROOM AND DRIED PORCINI SOUP

Steps:

• Place the dried porcinis in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wipe the fresh mushrooms, trim away the bottoms if they're sandy, break off the stems and set them aside. Set aside the caps in a separate bowl.
• Drain the porcinis through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl. Squeeze over the strainer to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible and set aside the broth. Rinse the mushrooms in several changes of water. Measure the mushroom soaking water and add water to make 2 cups.
• In a soup pot or a large saucepan, combine the mushroom soaking liquid, the chicken or vegetable stock, the soaked porcinis, fresh mushroom stems, garlic, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour. Strain the soup and return to the saucepan. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Slice the fresh mushroom caps paper-thin, toss with a couple of drops of lemon juice, and add to the soup pot. Heat through for 5 minutes.
• If garnishing with the garlic croutons, top them with Parmesan and place in a hot oven or toaster until the Parmesan has melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with chopped fresh chives and a crouton or two if desired.