Cacciucco di ceci – Chick pea and chard cacciucco
Usually cacciucco refers to the Livornese fish soup. But this is a vegetarian version that you can eat far from the coast, made from chick peas and chard. Like the original, it is a hearty soup served over slices of day-old or toasted bread.
To make cacciucco di ceci, boil 400g of chick peas in unsalted water – about 75 minutes in a normal pot or 35 minutes in a pressure cooker – drain but reserve the cooking water. Take one third of the chick peas and blend them in a food processor with one cup of the cooking water.
Wash 300g of chard under cold running water, separate the green from the “legs” of the chard, julienne the leaves and slice the legs into small pieces.
Slice and sauté one onion and one clove of garlic with olive oil and two anchovies (washed, deboned, and mashed with a wooden spoon) or a squirt of anchovy paste. Add the chard legs first, followed by the chick peas – drained and the blended mixture – and two peeled, diced tomatoes.
After this has simmered for a minute or two, add the remaining cooking water from the chick peas, cover and allow to cook for about another 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and add the chard leaves with a pinch of chili flakes. Five more minutes on the stove. Take dried or toasted tuscan bread – it needs to be the dense crumb type and not the airy kind – rub a slice garlic clove over it, and place it in the bottom of the bowl. Serve the soup over the bread, and add a few drops of your best olive oil.
