Minestra di Ceci e Cicorie

Name: Minestra di Ceci e Cicorie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Lucana
Ingredients: 300 g dried chickpeas; 500 g chicory; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves Garlic; 2 pieces Bay leaf; 4 slices stale rustic bread; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

A rustic Lucanian countryside soup of tender chickpeas and bitter wild chicory, served over toasted country bread with olive oil.

🇮🇹Italy· Basilicata

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 75 min
Total: 90 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 420 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

300 g dried chickpeas — soaked in cold water for 12 hours
500 g chicory — wild or cultivated, trimmed and washed
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — plus extra to finish
2 cloves Garlic — peeled and lightly crushed
2 pieces Bay leaf — dried
4 slices stale rustic bread — such as Pane di Matera or sourdough
1 tsp Fine sea salt — adjust to taste
½ tsp Black pepper — freshly cracked

Equipment

•Large heavy-bottomed saucepan or terracotta pot
•Colander
•Ladle
•Toaster or grill pan

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 420 kcal
fat: 16 g
carbs: 56 g
fibre: 11 g
protein: 16 g
calories: 420 kcal

Instructions

1
Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas thoroughly.
2
Place the chickpeas in a pot with the bay leaves and cover with plenty of fresh water.
3
Simmer gently over low heat for about sixty minutes until the chickpeas are tender.
4
Chop the washed chicory leaves into rough pieces.
5
Blanch the chicory in salted boiling water for five minutes, then drain thoroughly.
6
Heat the olive oil in a wide pot and gently fry the garlic until golden and fragrant.
7
Add the cooked chickpeas, half their cooking broth, and the blanched chicory to the pot.
8
Simmer everything together over low heat for fifteen minutes so the flavours mingle.
9
Season with salt and black pepper, then discard the bay leaves and garlic.
10
Toast the bread slices until crisp and place one slice in each warm serving bowl.
11
Ladle the hot chickpea and chicory soup generously over the bread.
12
Drizzle each portion with raw olive oil and serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Save all the chickpea cooking water to adjust the soup consistency to your liking. If wild chicory is unavailable, standard catalogna chicory or dandelion greens provide the correct pleasant bitterness.

Ingredient substitutions

dried chickpeas → canned chickpeas, rinsed and simmered for twenty minutes
wild chicory → catalogna chicory or dandelion greens
rustic bread → gluten-free crusty bread for a gluten-free meal

Storage

Keep leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days without the bread.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium heat, adding a splash of water if the broth has thickened.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Discarding all the chickpea cooking liquid, which contains rich starch and savoury flavour.
•Boiling the chicory for too long, which causes it to lose its vibrant colour and firm texture.
•Skipping the toasted bread base, which is integral to soaking up the savoury broth.

Serving suggestions

Serve in shallow earthenware bowls with extra raw olive oil drizzled on top.Top with crispy fried peperoni cruschi (dried sweet Lucanian peppers) for extra texture.