Overcoming my fear of soup...

tuscan chickpea soup

It took me many years of living on my own before I finally realized that making soups is not all that hard. For some reason I had avoided it. I would see soup recipes and completely bypass them in any cookbook, without even a second thought. It wasn't until my 3^rd year of university, that I finally saw the light. One of my new roommates was an avid soup maker, and she was shocked that I had never made soup before. As equally shocked as I was that she actually HAD made her own soups before. She had been excited to move in with me, as I had by then already amassed a significant collection of cookbooks. And the first thing she made from one of my books? Soup. One of the recipes that I of course had avoided. To this day, that first soup that she chose to make still remains one of my favourites.

Though my father had often made soups when I was younger, we were more focused on how great they tasted, and less interested in the process of making the soup. If there were cartoons to be watched, who cared how dad made the soup. Of course, I wish I had been a little smarter back then, but such is life.

And if you know me at all by now, the one thing that attracts me most to a recipe is whether or not it is relatively easy to make. There are times when I venture to the more complex, but I have to be in a very zen like state before hand and well relaxed in advance with a good glass of wine before delving into something with difficult techniques or instructions.

Several years ago I came across a recipe in an issue of Cooking Light magazine for Tuscan Chickpea Soup. When I first left Canada, this recipe was immediately transferred to a word document on my computer. It has dutifully followed me through 4 countries.

Each time I make it the recipe is consistent, it always tastes good. And I'm always surprised to find that it actually tastes better the following day. This is one time that I actually like having leftovers.

Now, I am one who always looks for a shortcut on a recipe. But after having made this soup many times, I will say that no shortcuts should be taken with this recipe. The amount of the garlic, the balsamic vinegar and the parmesan are all crucial to the taste of the soup, and make it absolutely delicious. If you omit any one of them your soup will quickly become mediocre. I also love adding freshly chopped Italian parsley to the soup at the end.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup (from Cooking Light)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
1 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water and the next 5 ingredients (water through tomatoes), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Place 2 cups soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with 2 cups soup. Return all pureed soup to pan. Stir in the vinegar, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Spoon 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.