Sardinian Fennel, Chickpea & Tomato Soup#SoupSwappers

This month for Soup Swappers our Host of the month Camilla M. Mann , asked us create and share some soups that feature the darlings of Spring. Think fennel, peas, and whatever tickles your fancy. 

Made my first every fennel soup.. a Sardinain one and fell in love with fennel.  Thanks Camilla for choosing this wonderful theme, it's a delight to be part of this wonderful group of soup swappers which pushes us to try and make different cuisines.

This soup serves 4 as a complete healthy meal, we had  it as  our dinner.  Soup is so tasty and very satisfying, the fennel, chickpeas add different textures to it.

Ingredients
1 Cups Dried Chickpeas
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 White Onion - chopped
1 Big Clove Garlic - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley - chopped
1 Bulb Fennel - sliced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Fennel fronds - finely chopped
1 Medium  Potato
200 Grams Tomato Puree

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
Salt and  Freshly Ground Black Pepper as per taste

6 Cups  Water

2 Chicken Stock cubes
1 Cup Mini pasta -I used a mini Macaroni pasta
For Garnishing 
1/2 Tablespoon Fresh Fennel fronds - finely chopped
1/4 Cup coarsely grated or shredded Cheese - optional

Method

Wash and soak the chickpeas in water for at least 4 - 6 hours . Then pressure cook it with 1/2 teaspoon salt and water one inch above the chickpeas on high flame for one whistles then on low flame for 10 minutes. After soaking this makes 2 cups of cooked chickpeas.   When the cooker cools, open it and take 1/4 cup of chickpeas and mash it with a potato masher, keep aside.

Boil the potato till half done.  Peel and diced it into small cubes, keep it aside.

Boil the pasta till 3/4 done and keep aside.

Remove the stalks and fronds of the fennel, core it and thinly slice it. Keep aside.

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and sliced fennel bulb,  cook gently, 

stirring occasionally until they are light pink or starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

 Now  add the  parsley, fennel fronds and potato and saute for  5 minutes. 

Add the tomato puree , sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste , pepper, stock cubes and chickpeas along with stock and water.  

Stir well, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes over medium low heat.

After half an hour the stock will reduce  a little (ie. 2 cups ) and the chickpeas will absorb the flavor of the fennel.  

Now add the pasta and the mashed chickpeas, taste for salt, and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is just tender. 

Serve this hot with finely chopped fennel fronds and a dash of pepper powder.  Enjoy.

We loved the soup a lot,  without the cheese. The broth is so  flavorful.  

Had a bowl of it remaining the next day the pasta had swelled  up so much,  added more water, since the pasta  had absorbed so much liquid and it tasted ever more yum.

My Notes:

I have added 1/2 teaspoon sugar to the soup, to cut the sour taste that the puree sometimes has.

Many of the recipes that I read had added cheese,  which I did not add, loved this without cheese, it was healthy, low in calorie and  yum.

Can make this Vegetarian and Vegan add vegetable stock or stock cube.

Lables : Soup, Fennel, Chickpea, Tomato, Sardinia, Italy, Healthy, Soup Swappers, Gluten free, Internaional Cuisine

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