Creamy Bacon Chickpea Soup Food

CREAMY CHICKPEA SOUP WITH BACON AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook 304 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and cook 5-7 minutes, until beginning to soften.
• Stir in all but 1/4 cup of the chickpeas and all of the chicken broth; add the whole sprigs of rosemary to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
• While the soup cooks, cook the bacon in a skillet set over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then crumble.
• Transfer the soup to a blender, working in batches if needed. Blend 40-60 seconds, or until the soup is smooth. Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve the soup topped with crumbled bacon, fresh herbs, and reserved chickpeas.

COMFORT SOUP (CHICKPEA AND BACON)

Steps:

• Saute onion, garlic and bacon together until the onion is soft and translucent. Don't be tempted to drain the bacon fat (I use a rather lean bacon, anyway, and there's not that much fat - if you have tons of it, then remove some). Add the chickpeas, carrots, tomato paste, bay leaf and 1 1/2 quarts water. Season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 1/2 an hour. Add the pearl barley and simmer for another 40-60 minutes, or until the chickpeas and barley are cooked through and the soup is quite thick (if the soup is too thick, thin with a little hot water until you achieve the consistency you desire).
• This was a really satisfying meal with a tossed green salad and garlic bread.

BACON AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the chickpease, place in a large pan anc cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the pancetta. Fry over medium heat until just beginning to turn golden. Add the chopped vegetable and cook for 5-10 minutes till soft Add the chickpease to pan with rosemary, bay leaves, garlic cloves and water to cover completely. Bring to a boil, half cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Pour soup into blender and process until smooth. Return to pan, season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika.