The chickpea and chestnut soup is a warm and comforting dish from the peasant tradition of upper Lazio.
This was the first recipe that the dear Vittoria Tassoni taught us to make for the project organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Rieti and Viterbo and Special Company Centro Italia as part of “Tourism and Culture.”
As you have seen, I have already published the other recipes and saved this one for the post-Christmas period, although Vittoria told us that this recipe was prepared on Christmas Eve, when one should eat light.
The origins of the soup seem very ancient, with traces found in a 13th-century culinary treatise. Italo Arieti, in his book La Tuscia a tavola, offers a specific recipe.
The ingredients in the recipe are very nutritious, and both the chickpeas and chestnuts we used are excellent products from Tuscia; the chestnuts are from the Monti Cimini and the chickpeas are from Valentano.
Since these are fresh ingredients, and not pre-cooked, it takes a bit of time to make this recipe, but the flavor it releases rewards the time spent at the stove.
I love soups, stews, and creamy soups, and in winter, I always prepare them to warm the stomach and heart.
I’ll leave you some, but many more appear by searching for ‘soup’ on the blog’s homepage.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
- Energy 1,104.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 170.34 (g) of which sugars 23.87 (g)
- Proteins 40.85 (g)
- Fat 26.80 (g) of which saturated 3.92 (g)of which unsaturated 11.73 (g)
- Fibers 31.88 (g)
- Sodium 151.14 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 400 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Chickpea and Chestnut Soup
- 1.1 lbs dried chickpeas
- 1.1 lbs roasted chestnuts
- 5 oz tomato puree
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- High-sided Casserole
Preparation of Chickpea and Chestnut Soup
Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain the soaking water and cook them in plenty of unsalted water for about 2 hours. My advice is to taste them after the first hour of cooking, as cooking times vary a lot depending on the type of chickpea used. These from Valentano take about two hours. If you want to do it faster, you can cook them in a pressure cooker for about 50-60 minutes.
Once ready, drain them and set them aside, keeping the cooking liquid, which will be needed later during the soup preparation.
Score the chestnuts and roast them. I usually prepare them in an air fryer, but you can roast them on the stove or, if you prefer, boil them in water without scoring. Roasted chestnuts are more flavorful in the soup.
Pour a little extra virgin olive oil into the casserole and brown the garlic cloves with the rosemary sprig.
Add the chopped chestnuts and tomato puree. Let it flavor for a minute, then add the chickpeas. Stir carefully, letting it cook for five minutes.
Cover with about one quart of hot water and half a quart of chickpeas’ cooking water.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for about an hour. If the chickpea and chestnut soup dries out too much, you can add a little chickpeas’ cooking water.
At this point, taste the soup and adjust the salt.
Toast a couple of slices of bread and cut them into cubes. Place the bread cubes at the bottom of the bowls in which you will serve the soup.
Once the soup is ready, pour it into individual bowls and garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and, if you like, a grind of fresh pepper.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the straight-furrow chickpea of Valentano?
The straight-furrow chickpea of Valentano is a small legume grown in the Acquapendente and Valentano area in Viterbo province. It is part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste products and has a smooth skin, yellow-beige in color. However, contrary to what one might think, its name does not derive from a particular shape of the seed but from an ancient peasant tradition. “The drawing of the straight furrow” is an event held on August 14 in the plain below the town of Valentano, during which a long furrow is traced across the fields. Once it was made by oxen-drawn plow, today by tractor. Depending on how straight the furrow is, predictions are made about the next year’s harvest.
The cultivation of the straight-furrow chickpea in Acquapendente and Valentano is very ancient, dating back even to the Etruscan times. It seems that, in the Middle Ages, the flour obtained from this variety was used in Val di Lago even for bread-making, with taxes and duties on its production set slightly lower than those on wheat. The rooting of this product in the territory persisted for a long time, becoming a gastronomic tradition of Tuscia, with dishes based on this legume taking center stage in the Christmas Eve meal.Are the chestnuts of Monti Cimini special?
The chestnuts and marrons from the Monti Cimini are exceptional typical products of Tuscia for millennia. The Monti Cimini form the mountainous area rising in the center of Viterbo province. The peculiar morphological and climatic characteristics, along with the volcanic origin soil, allow for high-quality and highly appreciated chestnuts and marrons.
The impenetrable woods of the Monti Cimini were called “Selva Cimina” by the Romans, who stayed away from it as they believed it was a place invaded by demons and terrifying beasts.
The Cimini chestnuts are suitable for flour making and thus for preservation. From the flour, derivatives like bread and sweets, such as the famous castagnaccio, were prepared, and still are to some extent. Notably, the quintessential soup of Chickpeas and Chestnuts, a true typical dish of the autumn-winter period. Among the first courses, chestnuts are also used in soups with mushrooms. And then roasts like suckling pig stuffed with chestnuts, roulade with chestnuts, and braised meat with chestnuts and new wine.
