Even this year’s amazing summer came to an end; autumn has arrived bringing chillier mornings and beautiful shades of yellow and red replacing the variations of green. With some regret I’ve had to switch summer’s eternal shorts to trousers, and dig out the
woollen cardigans.
It’s not that I don’t like autumn – I actually adore it! After the intense summer months there is a certain calm about this season and up here it is just incredibly beautiful. Crisp skies and vibrant colours make it easy to cope with cooler temperatures and more rain. I just have to adjust and pack away my summer habits until next year. Fresh salads and frizzy rosé wine enjoyed in the shade of the trees in my garden have been replaced with warm soups and hearty red wine inside the house, next to the fire.
I am an absolute soup fanatic, and have gathered a large amount of fabulous soup recipes throughout the years, but I’m always up for trying something new. From one of my favourite chefs, the talented Valentina (@vdepertis on Instagram) I recently got this recipe, and it just has it all: it’s uncomplicated, involves standard ingredients, and is quick & easy to prepare. On top of that this fragrant soup has the most wonderful taste of an autumn day in the woods and is very fulfilling. Here’s this autumn’s Big Soup Hit:
Mushroom and Chickpea Soup
Serves four
1 can of chickpeas (400g)
30 g dried mushrooms
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed
2 branches of stalk celery, finely chopped
½ Tsp. chili powder
1 Tsp. dried thyme
1 Tsp. sugar
9 dl water
1 dl cream
2 cubes of stock / 2 Tbsp. of stock powder
Mash the chickpeas with a fork or mix them roughly with a hand blender and put them in a bowl.
Crush the dried mushrooms roughly between your hands and add them to the chickpeas.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry onion, garlic and celery.
Add chili powder, thyme, and sugar and let it sizzle for a moment.
Add the mashed chickpeas and mushrooms, water, cream and the stock powder into the pan. Let it all simmer for 30 min., stirring now and then to avoid sticking.
Serve with some chopped parsley (or other herbs of your fancy) and a nice sour dough bread.
Enjoy your trip to Soup Heaven!
My ticket to Soup Heaven