Zuppa di Ceci Ligure
A comforting Ligurian chickpea soup gently simmered with rosemary, garlic, and fragrant olive oil, served over toasted rustic bread.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Ladle
- •Grill pan or toaster
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 12 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Drain and thoroughly rinse the soaked chickpeas under cold running water.
- 2
Warm half the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
- 3
Add the diced carrot, celery, and two bruised garlic cloves to the pan.
- 4
Cook gently for five minutes until the vegetables soften without taking colour.
- 5
Stir in the drained chickpeas, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaf until glossy.
- 6
Pour in the stock or water and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 7
Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 70 minutes until tender.
- 8
Discard the rosemary and bay leaf from the pan.
- 9
Mash a ladleful of chickpeas against the pan side to thicken the broth.
- 10
Season the soup generously with fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- 11
Toast the bread slices and rub them lightly with the remaining garlic clove.
- 12
Place a slice of bread in each bowl, ladle over hot soup, and drizzle with olive oil.
Chef's tips
Do not add salt until the chickpeas are fully tender, as salt can toughen legume skins during cooking. Use a fruity, delicate olive oil like Ligurian taggiasca to avoid overpowering the sweet flavour of the chickpeas.
Ingredient substitutions
- dried chickpeas → 600 g cooked chickpeas (simmer for 20 minutes instead of 70)
- pane casereccio → gluten-free rustic bread slices
Storage
Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days without the bread.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium heat with a splash of water, then assemble over freshly toasted bread.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the soup vigorously, which breaks the chickpeas apart into a muddy broth instead of keeping them whole.
- •Using strong, peppery olive oils that overwhelm the delicate rosemary and chickpea flavours.
Serving suggestions
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