Chickpea, tomato and bread soup

Name: Chickpea, tomato and bread soup
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp chopped parsley; 1 tbsp thyme leaves; 2 bay leaves; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 250 ml white wine; 400 g can Italian plum tomatoes; 1 tbsp chopped oregano; 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced; about 120 ml olive oil; 1 large carrot, peeled, cut lengthways in half and sliced; 3 celery sticks, sliced; 1 large onion, sliced; 400 g freshly cooked chickpeas (canned are fine too); 160 g stale sourdough bread (crust removed); 1 litre vegetable stock; salt and black pepper; handful of shredded basil leaves to serve (optional); 4 tbsp basil pesto (bought or freshly made; see Royal potato salad)

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Plenty

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Published 2010

About

Here’s a take on the Tuscan ribollita. Somewhere between a soup and a vegetable stew, it is a warming and filling meal in a bowl after which you don’t need much – maybe just a little pillow to rest your head on. You can reduce or increase the amount of liquid to achieve your perfect consistency.

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, sliced
about 120 ml

Europe
Italy
Mediterranean
Soup
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Place the onion and fennel in a large saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of the oil and sauté on a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery