Creamy chickpea soup

I think Mediterranean cuisine would not be the same without falafel, panelle, farinata, humus and the fantastic soups you can make with chickpeas.

The creamy soup I made few days ago is really simple, a great meal for a cold evening.

I got gr 500 locally grown chickpeas coming from the Frigintini area, just outside Modica, and placed them in a bowl to soften overnight, covered with water and a pinch of baking soda.

The following day I boiled them and after scooping up and discarding the foam that rises to the top of the pot, I added one medium chopped onion. Just 15-10 minutes before removing from the heat I added some salt and a couple of fresh chillies cut in half.

Then I blended 2/3 of the chickpeas into a creamy soup and mixed in the remaining ones.

I served the soup with freshly chopped parsley (while chickpeas are usually paired with rosemary, my mother always uses parsley to add a fresher taste as my grandmother taught her), chillies and a fantastic 2010 extra virgin olive oil, a Cru named Particella 34. This is a monocultivar "Tonda Iblea" extra virgin olive oil produced by Piano Grillo. During my latest visit to the Piccione's olive grove we had the chance to try and get the recently bottled 2010 production, simply excellent.