Asti-Style Soup with Pork Ribs, Chickpeas, and Potatoes

One of the major events of the year on many Italian farms, taking place as the season begins to cross the bridge between fall and winter, is the butchering of a pig. The Italian expression is fare il maiale, “do the pig.” Some farmers “do” it themselves; others hire a specialized crew. The law prescribes that the pig be dispatched instantly, but there are those who ignore that requirement and bleed it slowly to death, a procedure whose details I shall spare you. The justification for