Chestnut and chickpea soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g chickpeas
• Water for soaking
• n. B. water
• 250 g chestnuts
• salt water
• 1 large onion(s)
• 1 large carrot(s)
• 1 celery stick
• 2 cloves garlic
• some olive oil
• 1 small pepper, dried, if desired
• salt and pepper
• n. B. Fresh herbs (e.g. bay leaves, thyme, rosemary)

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 14 hours 45 minutes

Potato and chestnut soup

Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook in fresh water without adding salt until tender (pressure cooker for about 10 minutes, regular pot for about 90 minutes). Score the chestnut shells crosswise (the flat side works best) and cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and let cool. In the meantime, peel and dice the carrot, as well as the onion and garlic cloves. Wash the celery and finely chop it along with the pepper. Sauté everything in olive oil, add bay leaves and thyme or rosemary sprigs, if desired, and pour in 1.5-2 liters of water. Bring to a boil. Peel and halve the chestnuts and add them to the boiling vegetable broth along with the drained chickpeas. Simmer for 30 minutes. If you prefer a creamier soup, you can purée about 1/3 of the soup 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and herb sprigs, season with salt and pepper, and carefully drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl. This soup is a traditional Christmas dish in Abruzzo. Serve with ciabatta.