Subject: Zuppa di Ceci e Spinaci (Chickpea and Spinach Soup)
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Wed May 21 2003 - 07:06:13 EDT
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FOOD FUNNY
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Reader Karen Cline sent us this one:
A guy was lonely and so he decided life would be more fun if he had a
pet, so he went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to
buy an unusual pet. After some discussion, he finally bought a
centipede (100-legged bug) which came in a little white box to use for
his house. He took the box back home, found a good location for the
box, and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to a
restaurant to have a meal. So he asked the centipede in the box,
"Would you like to go to Frank's with me and have a bite to eat?" But
there was no answer from his new pet.
This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked
him again, "How about going out and having a snack with me?" But
again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. So he waited
a few minutes more, thinking about the situation. He decided to ask
him one more time - this time putting his face up against the
centipede's house and shouting, he said, "Hey in there! Would you
like to go get some food with me?"
A tiny little voice came out of the box, "I heard you the first time!
I'm putting on my shoes."
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TODAY'S RECIPE
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I know that every time I publish a recipe containing chickpeas I tell
you how much I like them, so I'll spare you this time. Have I ever
told you how much I like spinach?
Zuppa di Ceci e Spinaci (Chickpea and Spinach Soup)
1 oz (28 g) dried porcini mushrooms soaked in
3 cups (750 ml) lukewarm water for 1 hour
1 lb (450 g) fresh spinach, thoroughly rinsed, or
10 oz (280 g) frozen spinach, thawed
4 Tbs (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
19-oz (532 g) can chickpeas (garbanzos, ceci), drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Lift the mushrooms from the liquid without stirring up the liquid too
much and chop the semi-fine. Strain the liquid through a strainer
lined with a coffee filter or paper towel and reserve. If using fresh
spinach, remove the stems and cook in a covered pan with the water
clinging to the leaves until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the
spinach and chop coarsely. If using frozen spinach, chop coarsely.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over moderate heat and saute the
onion until tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes
and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach, chickpeas, the
filtered mushroom liquid, salt, and pepper, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to very low and simmer covered for 1 hour. The soup
should be more like a dense stew rather than a liquid broth. Serve
garnished with grated Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.
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