Mesciua

Name: Mesciua
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ligure
Ingredients: 150 g dried chickpeas; 150 g dried cannellini beans; 150 g whole wheat berries; 2 g bicarbonate of soda; 10 g Fine sea salt; 60 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil; 5 g Black peppercorns

Mesciua is a rustic pulse and wheat soup from La Spezia, combining chickpeas, cannellini beans, and wheat berries dressed with olive oil.

🇮🇹Italy· Liguria

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 120 min
Total: 135 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 410 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 7 gathered

Servings

150 g dried chickpeas — rinsed
150 g dried cannellini beans — rinsed
150 g whole wheat berries — grano tenero or farro perlato
2 g bicarbonate of soda — optional, for soaking chickpeas
10 g Fine sea salt — to taste
60 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil — fruity and mild, for dressing
5 g Black peppercorns — freshly and coarsely cracked

Equipment

•Three medium saucepans or one large stockpot
•Colander
•Ladle
•Terracotta serving bowls

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 410 kcal
fat: 12 g
carbs: 62 g
fibre: 14 g
protein: 16 g
calories: 410 kcal

Instructions

1
Soak the dried chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water with the bicarbonate of soda for 12 hours.
2
Soak the cannellini beans and wheat berries in separate bowls of cold water for 12 hours.
3
Drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas, cannellini beans, and wheat berries in cold running water.
4
Place the chickpeas in a pot covered with plenty of unsalted cold water and bring to a gentle simmer.
5
Cook the chickpeas over low heat for 90 minutes until tender, skimming any foam from the surface.
6
Simmer the cannellini beans and wheat berries in separate pots of unsalted water until fully tender, around 45 minutes.
7
Combine the drained chickpeas, cannellini beans, and wheat berries in one pot with two ladles of bean cooking broth.
8
Simmer the mixture together gently for 10 minutes until the broth thickens slightly.
9
Season the soup with sea salt to taste just before taking the pot off the heat.
10
Ladle into warm bowls and dress generously with robust Ligurian olive oil and coarse black pepper.

Chef's tips

Cooking each pulse and grain separately ensures even tenderness, as chickpeas take significantly longer to soften than cannellini or wheat. Only add salt at the very end of cooking to prevent the pulse skins from turning tough. Use a delicate Ligurian olive oil to let the earthy flavours of the grains shine.

Ingredient substitutions

whole wheat berries → pearl spelt (farro perlato) or hulled barley
dried cannellini beans → dried borlotti beans or dried bianchetti beans

Storage

Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring in a splash of water to loosen.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Boiling all ingredients together from the start, causing beans to turn to mush before chickpeas soften.
•Salting the water during the early simmer, which toughens the pulse skins.
•Skimping on the final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper.