This soup is so light and delicate. Generally I use
tinned chickpeas for this because soaking them over-night
requires a bit of fore-thought (which I often don't have
!). Using dried chickpeas would most certainly be a
cost saving exercise but it means you will need to allow
longer cooking time than if using tinned chickpeas.
To convert any of these ingredients into US measurements please
use this
Quantity Conversion
Chart.
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried chickpeas, soaked over-night
6 - 8 rashers of bacon
2 brown onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
8 cups of water
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 zucchini, chopped small (remove seeds)
4 teaspoons of stock powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Drain chickpeas and set them aside. Throw the waste
water onto your garden. Cook bacon, onion and garlic in a
large non-stick pan for 4 - 5 minutes. If you don't
have a non-stick pan then use 1 teaspoon of oil to sautee
the bacon, onions and garlic in.
Add soaked chickpeas, water, bay leaves and stock powder.
Simmer for about an hour.
If you decide to use tinned chickpeas then use two tins,
each about 400 gm in size. They need to be drained and
rinsed. Decrease the simmering time to about 15
minutes.
Add parsley, zucchini, salt and pepper. Boil for a
further 10 minutes and serve.
Serves 6 - 8.
Notes:
In my experience no two batches of chickpeas seem to cook
in the same amount of time. So, try your chickpeas for
cooked-ness prior to adding the parsley and zucchini.
Food Facts:
Onions are high in energy and have good amounts of B6,
B1, and Folic acid in them. They contain chemicals
which fight free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals
cause disease and destruction in our cells. Onions
have anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties
in them. These properties are most potent when the
onion is eaten raw. Onions raise the levels of
beneficial HDL cholesterol and they ower the levels of the
bad LDL cholesterol.
Chickpeas are also known as Garbanzo Beans. They have a nutty
flavour. They need lengthy cooking and are used in
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. They are high in fibre and
flavonoids, keeping the digestive system healthy and lowering
cholesterol. They are rich in Vitamin E and zinc so they help fight
infection and they promote healthy cell growth.
