DIRECTIONS

1. The night before you want to make the soup (or 8 hours ahead of time), soak chickpeas in a large bowl full of water.

2. When it’s time to cook, drain, rinse and drain the chickpeas.

3. Using an empty tea bag or a scrap of cheesecloth, create a secure bundle that contains the carrot, onion, garlic, lemon peel and herbs.

4. Add the bundle, soaked chickpeas, 3 1/2 quarts of water, salt, and 1 cup of oil to your soup pot. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to low and simmer for about 1 hour. (Taste a chickpea to test that it’s done.)

5. Near the end of the hour, prepare your kale. Remove ribs and coarsely chop into ribbons.

6. In a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir once. Add kale. Cook for about 3 minutes.

7. When the chickpeas are done, add the kale garlic mixture, 2 cups of the chickpeas, and 1 cup of the cooking liquid to a food processor or blender. Pulse until the chickpeas are smooth and the kale looks finely chopped.

8. Add this puree back into your soup. Season with salt and pepper, and heat until hot.

9. If using the tortellini, add a small handful to the bottom of the bowl and pour hot soup over them. Finish each bowl with a little lemon juice, olive oil and/or Parmesan.

Notes:

• Make this soup ahead. It reheats well.
• Find dried tortellini in the bulk aisle or with boxed pasta. Cook per directions in salted water. Dried tortellini holds up well in a soup, but frozen or fresh will fall apart.
• This recipe is adapted from a cookbook that has become one of my favorites: “Franny’s Simple Seasonal Italian.” While Franny’s restaurant in New York has closed, you might be able to taste something similar at Ava Gene’s in Portland. Joshua McFadden has recently published “Six Seasons,” another lovely cookbook that contains a hint of Franny’s recipes. This makes sense since the author’s bio states he cooked at Franny’s (and also hilariously calls him a “vegetable whisperer.”)

Anne Willhoit is an educator, community volunteer and parent. She blogs about seasonal eating and from scratch techniques at https://eatingsmallpotatoes.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/kale-and-chickpea-soup/