Zuppa della Vigilia di Natale

Ingredients

• 150 g di ceci (5.25 oz chickpeas)
• 200 g di castagne fresche (7 oz fresh chestnuts)
• 2 foglie di alloro (2 bay leaves)
• 1 cipolla (1 onion)
• 40 g de lardo o pancetta (1.5 oz of pancetta)
• 1 noce di burro (1 "knob" of butter)
• 1 carota (1 carrot)
• 1 costa di sedano (1 stalk of celery)
• 1 spicchio d'aglio (1 clove of garlic)
• 1 mestolino di salsa di pelati (1 ladle of tomato sauce)
• 4-6 fette di pane casereccio (4 to 6 slices of bread)
• olio d'oliva (olive oil)
• sale e pepe (salt and pepper)

Method

1. Soak chickpeas 24 hours in cold water; drain; put into a sauce pan and cover with fresh water, unsalted.
2. Add minced onion, carrot, and celery and bay leaves.
3. Cover and cook fully, for at least 2 hours.
4. Roast the chestnuts. Shell and peel and add to chickpeas once they have cooked.
5. Mince the pancetta. Brown it softly in a small pan with the butter and the peeled garlic (whole). When the garlic begins to color, turn off the heat.
6. Omitting the garlic, mix the sauce into the pancetta and keep warm.
7. When the chickpeas are cooked, season with the sauce and divide in the soup bowls (with slices of toasted bread)

Source

Emilia Valli, La cucina umbra: In 300 ricette tradizionali (Roma: Newton & Compton Editori, 2003) ISBN 8882898970.