List of Ingredients
- 2/3 LB. of dried chickpeas
- 1/4 LB. of carrots
- 3 OZ. of onion
- 3 OZ. of celery
- 2 1/2 OZ. of homestyle bread (or any crusty bread)
- 2 CLOVES of garlic
- 1 SPRIG of sage
- 1 SPRIG of rosemary
- extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Method
Soak the chickpeas in water for 12 hours. Drain, rinse and place in a bowl.
Trim the vegetables and peel the garlic; finely dice the celery, carrot, and onion separately. Mince 1 garlic clove with a sprig of sage and rosemary.
Mix the celery, onions, the herbs and garlic, and half of the carrots, setting the other half aside. If you like, add spicy green chili pepper.
Place the vegetables and herbs in a saucepan and sauté with the chickpeas: cook for around 20 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the chickpeas stick slightly to the bottom of the pan and start to smell toasty. Cook for around 2 hours, gradually adding lightly salted water.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the bread into cubes and put them on a baking sheet; chop sage and rosemary with another garlic clove and sprinkle over the bread. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Bake for around 15 minutes until they are crispy and dry.
In a small pan, sauté the remaining carrots with 1 Tbsp. oil and a pinch of mixed herbs.
When the chickpeas are cooked, puree them and serve with the sautéed carrots and the croutons.