Preparation of pumpkin soup with beans and chickpeas

• To prepare the pumpkin soup with beans, the first thing to do is soak the beans and chickpeas together in a large bowl of cold water the evening before. The next morning, drain them and cook them.
  I cook both the beans and the chickpeas for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker so they stay firm, whole and cooked, but you can also cook them the traditional way in a pot with water for at least an hour.

• Once the beans and chickpeas are cooked, clean the pumpkin by removing the skin, seeds and inner fibers, and cut it into chunks about 3/8 inch thick.
  Finely chop the onion and sauté it in a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until it becomes almost transparent.

• While the onion is sautéing, chop the pancetta and add it to the pot, letting it sizzle with the onion.
  Once the onion and pancetta have softened, add the drained beans and chickpeas to the pot, reserving a little of their cooking water.
  Add the previously cut pumpkin and a few sprigs of rosemary — if you prefer not to find rosemary leaves between your teeth, add a whole sprig tied with kitchen twine.

• Add a little of the beans’ cooking water and then enough cold water to just cover the beans and chickpeas.

• Lower the heat and cook the pumpkin soup with beans for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking that it does not dry out too much.

• At the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste and, if you like, add aromatic herbs.

• To make this dish extra special, toast slices of country bread in the oven and add them to bowls before serving the pumpkin soup with beans so the bread soaks up the broth and..
  ENJOY YOUR MEAL