Rustic Chickpea Tomato Soup

Rustic Chickpea Tomato Soup

A deeply savoury Italian soup built on golden soffritto, sweet peeled tomatoes and tender chickpeas, finished with a glug of grassy extra-virgin olive oil — hearty enough for a midweek supper yet quietly elegant. Partially blending half the chickpeas gives the broth a silky, voluptuous body without a drop of cream. Serve it over fluffy pilau rice on a cool evening for a bowlful that genuinely satisfies.

Ingredients
[ ] 250 g dried chickpeas (or 2 × 400 g tins of cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
[ ] 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (if soaking dried chickpeas)
[ ] 400 g tin of whole peeled tomatoes (or 400 ml tomato passata), roughly crushed by hand
[ ] 1 medium carrot, finely diced
[ ] 2 celery sticks, finely diced
[ ] 1 medium white onion, finely diced
[ ] 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
[ ] 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
[ ] 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
[ ] 1 litre good-quality vegetable stock (or vegetable stock made from a cube)
[ ] 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish
[ ] Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
[ ] For the pilau rice (to serve):
[ ] 300 g long-grain rice
[ ] 600 ml vegetable stock or water
[ ] 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
[ ] 1 bay leaf
[ ] ½ tsp fine sea salt

Instructions
[ ] 1. If using dried chickpeas, place them in a large bowl, cover generously with cold water and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Soak for at least 12 hours or overnight.
[ ] 2. Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse well. Transfer to a large saucepan, cover with fresh cold water by at least 5 cm and bring to a rolling boil.
[ ] 3. Skim off any foam, then reduce the heat and simmer for 60–90 minutes until completely tender. Drain and set aside. (If using tinned chickpeas, skip to the next step.)
[ ] 4. Warm 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add the diced carrot, celery and onion with a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until the vegetables are soft, sweet and just beginning to turn golden.
[ ] 5. Stir in the sliced garlic, bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Cook for a further 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not coloured.
[ ] 6. Tip in the crushed peeled tomatoes or passata. Stir to combine and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to reduce slightly and deepen in colour.
[ ] 7. Add the cooked (or tinned) chickpeas to the pot. Pour over the vegetable stock and stir everything together. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes so the flavours meld and the soup thickens slightly.
[ ] 8. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Using a ladle, scoop out roughly one-third of the chickpeas into a bowl or jug and blend them to a smooth purée using a stick blender (or mash thoroughly with a fork).
[ ] 9. Stir the purée back into the pot — this creates a creamy, velvety body without altering the rustic character of the soup.
[ ] 10. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and drizzle generously with extra-virgin olive oil.
[ ] 11. While the soup simmers, warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bay leaf and the dry long-grain rice and stir for 1–2 minutes until the grains are lightly toasted and coated in oil.
[ ] 12. Pour in the vegetable stock or water, add ½ tsp fine sea salt and bring to the boil. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes.
[ ] 13. Remove from the heat and leave, still covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and remove the bay leaf.
[ ] 14. Spoon a mound of pilau rice into the centre of each warmed bowl and ladle the hot soup generously around and over it. Finish with a final drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper.

https://www.cuisinesavvy.com/recipe/rustic-chickpea-tomato-soup