Soup's On!

Thursdays are in still in the “design stages” here at La Fourchette but I thought I'd stick with the intended schedule just the same.

We've entered the season for soup. One of my dear readers made a soup request…errr…last year...and although I had every intention of posting some soups to fill her bowl, I...uhhh.... got distracted with this whole "change-your-country/make-a-life" thing going on.

So...ahem, "Soup, you say?" Try this:

From the kitchen of a displaced Mediterranean soul (Italian, to be exact), this is a belly-warming bowlful for some rainy/snowy/sleety evening in the weeks ahead...or if you just need something quick to whip up for drop-in guests who want to hang out like family during the holiday season. That's how it was when I first tasted it.

I was the guest of a friend who is a regular at the aforementioned Mediterranean soul's kitchen. We had been invited in for a mid-week dinner during my recent visit to Vermont.

It was simple. And simply lovely.

We "ooohed" and "aaaahed" over this soup as if we were tasting this surprising delicacy called "soup" for the very first time. We filled our bowls with seconds and thirds. We took the warmth of the soup and the evening out into the frosty night air and never felt the chill.

So here it is for you, dear readers. A crusty baguette and a tossed green salad will round it out nicely.

And for dessert? You'll have to come back for dessert - it's worth a post all to itself!

As for this soup: Oh! You are going to like this one!

Bon appétit!
Leslie

CHICK PEA SOUP or PASTA ET FAGIOLI (Pasta and Bean Soup)
(This recipe makes enough for 2 for dinner along with salad and a baguette. Only make as much as you and your group will eat as it is not something I'd save for the next day.)

1 cup cooked chick peas, drained
olive oil
garlic, finely chopped (to taste - I used a lot!)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Fresh rosemary, minced (Lots! Lots and lots! I used good handful fresh from the terrace garden.)
2 cups water
1/2 cup (or a bit more - to your taste) cooked pasta, drained

In a soup pot, heat olive oil and saute chopped onion until soft and barely golden. Add the garlic and saute until soft and fragrant. Add chopped rosemary, the chick peas and the water. Heat through to blend flavors, cooking until the beans begin to break down. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. (Meanwhile, put the water on for the pasta.)

Take the soup off of the heat and take out half of the chick peas and set aside. Puree what's left in the pot in a food processor (or using a stick blender. What are those called anyway?! I love mine...but I never have to call it by name.)

Return the pureed soup to the soup pot and return the chick peas that you set aside. Add the pasta. (Add the pasta a bit at a time to determine how much you want in your soup.)

Simmer to heat through. Serve in heated bowls, drizzling a good olive oil over the top and hitting it with some freshly cracked pepper before digging in.