The soup

I didn’t want to complain about the weather. Not again. But I can’t help it when it’s so incredibly cold outside. I used to think I enjoyed the cold weather but now I believe I’ve had enough. I can’t stand it anymore. It’s minus degrees Celsius, it’s snowing every other day making it difficult to walk around the city and, I slipped.and fell.on my mobile phone. Which is kind of funny really but damn it, I might have broken it and what would I do then? Huh?

I know, I complain too much, but I can’t help it. If I’m not free to complain in this little space of mine where am I supposed to let off steam? Well, since I started, let me say one more thing that’s been on my mind. I have never mentioned this before, but I once thought that everyone liked Greece with its beautiful beaches and breathtaking scenery, with its delicious food and open-hearted people, but I realized that’s not necessarily true, and these last couple of years, with the economic crisis, things have changed completely.

I have been living in the Netherlands for more than five years now and I have noticed a gradual shift in some people’s view of my country. I see people reacting in a negative way whenever I say I’m from Greece, people are more than willing to point out everything that’s wrong with my country, making snide remarks that are meant to be offensive rather than constructive. They conceal their resentment behind humor, making nasty comments and then laughing about it.

I’m so tired of hearing it. It’s hurtful and unfair, and we Greeks have become the easy target for anyone who wants to blame someone else for their own misfortune. I’m sick of listening to malicious comments and ironic remarks that totally disrespect me and my people. I’m on the verge of saying something really bad to the next person who insinuates anything in my presence, and I’m really not the kind of person who likes doing that.

Of course, to avoid any kind of misunderstanding, not all Dutch people are like that, no. I’m talking about the ignorant and uncultivated few who have come down with the disease called xenophobia caused by the crisis and their own feeble minds, but they’re enough of them out there to upset me and spoil my mood.

Anyway, enough with my ramblings and little outburst, which I’m certain have managed to overshadow this soup. So let’s focus on food. This soup has become my winter solace. My way of battling through the rough, cold days that linger even though March has arrived. A soup that reminds me of home even though it’s not a Greek recipe but an Italian one.

I love legumes and especially chickpeas. I usually cook them in a tomato sauce because that’s the way my boyfriend likes them, but I prefer them “white” as we say in Greece, meaning in a sauce made from the chickpea liquid, olive oil and some lemon juice. This recipe, which is very close to the way I usually cook chickpeas, is from Polpo, which S gave to me as a birthday present this past November. The first time I tried it, I followed it to the letter but found it to be a little bland and lacking in depth of flavor. So the next time I made it, I added my magic ingredients, parmesan rind, a few garlic cloves, a couple of dried bay leaves and some fennel fronds that did the trick marvelously. That’s the version I’ve been making ever since.

It is a soup rich with flavor, with an interesting texture since half the amount of it is blended, with a strong umami taste and a delicate flavor of fennel and leek. So if you’re desperately looking to warm yourself up and you’re craving something seriously delicious, do try this soup. I highly recommend it.

Chickpea Soup with Fennel and Leek
Adapted from Polpo

Fennel is a vegetable that I love and use often. I realize that not many people enjoy its aniseed flavor so let me reassure you by saying that its presence in the soup is discreet, not at all overpowering and it doesn’t mask the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.

The addition of parmesan rind may sound strange to some of you and I totally get it but, trust me, it gives a wonderful flavor to the soup; don’t hesitate to use it.

In Greece, we eat this type of soups as main meals; I suggest you do the same. Serve it with lots of crusty bread, feta and some anchovy fillets on the side.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients
500 g dried chickpeas
1 tsp baking soda
110 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, mashed
1 large leek (about 200 g), cut into small pieces
1 large fennel bulb (about 300 g), cut into small pieces
1½ liter* chicken or vegetable stock (or 1½ liter water and 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes)
Parmesan rinds (from a large piece)
2-3 dried bay leaves
¼ tsp boukovo or dried chilli flakes
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed, plus extra for serving
Fennel fronds, for serving

* The level of stock/water should be about 3 cm above the chickpeas and not more than that otherwise the soup will be too runny. Keep in mind that you may need less or more liquid so don’t add it all at once but check how much is needed.

Special equipment: colander, immersion or regular blender or food processor


Preparation
The night before, put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl, add the baking soda and 2 liters of water, stir with a spoon and leave the chickpeas to soak overnight. They need 12-14 hours of soaking.

The next day, empty the chickpeas into a colander and rinse them well under cold running water. Place them in a large pot and add 2 liters of tap water. Bring to the boil over high heat. You will notice that once the water starts to boil, white foam will rise up to the surface of the water. Remove the foam with a large spoon and drain the chickpeas in a colander.

In the same pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they soften. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute and then add the leek and fennel and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir them around so they get covered with the olive oil and add the stock, or water and stock cubes (making sure it is almost 3 cm above the chickpeas and not less or more than that), the parmesan rinds, bay leaves and boukovo or chilli flakes. Stir everything around and bring to the boil. Then turn heat down to low, put on the lid and allow to simmer for about 1 hour or until the chickpeas are tender and done. Not all chickpeas are the same so you need to keep an eye on them and check them after the first 30 minutes of cooking. You want them to be tender in the end but not mushy.
Have a taste and add salt if necessary, followed by a little freshly ground black pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, remove a quarter of the chickpeas and vegetables from the pot and place them in a bowl. Remove and discard the parmesan rinds and bay leaves from the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the rest of the soup directly in the pot until you have a smooth and creamy soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup little by little to a food processor or regular blender and process it there until you have a smooth and creamy soup.
Return the whole chickpeas and the vegetables you reserved earlier back to the pot, add the lemon juice and stir well.

Serve the soup hot, garnished with some fennel fronds and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add an extra squeeze of lemon and a little black pepper if you wish.

The following day, the soup will taste even better, as all soups do.