Ligurian Chickpea And Porcini Soup Recipes

CHICKPEA AND PASTA SOUP

Steps:

• 1 Pour the oil into a large pot. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and golden. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes more. 2 Drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Cook 11/2 to 2 hours or until the chickpeas are very tender. Add water if necessary to keep the chickpeas covered. 3 About 20 minutes before the chickpeas are done, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, then the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender. Drain and add to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with a drizzle of extravirgin olive oil. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

LIGURIAN CHICKPEA AND PORCINI SOUP

Steps:

• 1 Soak the mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes. Remove them and reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water to remove any grit. Chop them coarsely. Strain the liquid through a paper coffee filter into a bowl. 2 Pour the oil into a large pot. Add the pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the onion and other aromatics are golden, about 10 minutes. 3 Stir in the chickpeas, Swiss chard, potato, tomatoes, and mushrooms with their liquid. Add water to just cover the ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the soup is thickened, about 1 hour. Add water if the soup becomes too thick. 4 Stir in the pasta and 2 more cups water. Cook, stirring often, about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Let cool slightly before serving. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.

BRAISED LIGURIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add chicken pieces and toss until evenly coated.
• Place a large saute pan or heat-proof casserole over medium-high heat.
• Add olive oil.
• When oil is hot, add chicken pieces and saute until browned.
• Turn chicken and add rosemary and garlic.
• Continue to saute until garlic is softened, about three minutes.
• Add wine.
• When wine comes to a boil, add anchovies, olives and tomatoes.
• Partly cover pan and lower heat to medium low.
• Simmer until chicken is cooked and broth is reduced to a sauce, about 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the size of your chicken pieces.
• To serve, discard rosemary sprigs and season dish well with salt and pepper.