You need to be brave though, since chickpeas and leeks are the main ingrediants. Most people don't cook with either of these things very often. But trust me, if there ever was a recipe that is greater than the sum of it's parts, it's this soup. The icing on the cake is that this recipe is super duper healthy and filling.
*A note about Chickpeas. I firmly believe that dried chickpeas taste a million times better than canned ones. Personally, it's all I use. If you want to try the dried ones, a little prep is nessasary. You'll have to soak the dried beans in water overnight and then cook them in a huge pot of boiling water for about an hour until they soften. I usually do a huge bag of them and then throw them in a Ziploc in the freezer, then they are ready to use any time. They keep forever.
If it's you're first time with Chickpeas, you can used the canned ones (I would recommend the Organic ones, make sure you rinse them really well.)
LEEK AND CHICKPEA SOUP
12 oz Chickpeas (canned, rinsed /or dried, soaked and cooked.)
5 med Leeks (white and light green only, rinsed, sliced lengthwise and then crosswise into small halfmoon shaped pieces)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
knob of Butter
2 strips good quality Bacon (left in whole rashers)
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
2 cloves, Garlic (minced)
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
Parmesean Cheese
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot on med heat. Add the 2 rashers of bacon. Cook for 2 min.
2. Add leeks, garlic and sprig of rosemary to the pot. Add some salt and pepper. Cook for 6 min until tender. Do not brown the leeks.
3. Add the chickpeas and 2/3 or the stock. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 min until chickpeas are tender.
4. Remove the bacon and rosemary.
5. Puree half of all of the soup (I like to puree only half so that it still has some texture.)
6. Add the rest of the stock. Check for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.
7. Add some fresh grated parmesean and stir.
8. Serve topped with a drizzle of good olive oil.
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