Ingredients
For the beans
- 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, picked through for debris (or two 15-ounce cans of garbanzo beans, drained)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the chili oil
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 shallot, peeled and halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
For the soup
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
- One 28-ounce can tomato sauce
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan rind
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- For the beans: Pour the dried garbanzo beans into a medium bowl full of water. Remove any beans that float and drain the water. Put the beans, bay leaves, and salt into a heavy pot and add enough fresh water to cover the beans by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then adjust the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Discard the bay leaves and set the beans aside.
- For the chili oil: Add the olive oil, shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, paprika, salt, and bay leaves to a medium saucepan. Place over low heat and simmer for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic, shallot, and bay leaves. Set the oil aside.
- For the soup: Combine the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary in a heavy pot. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until you start to really smell the garlic and rosemary. Add the tomato sauce, broth, Parmesan rind, and the garbanzo beans to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the Parmesan rind. Use a slotted spoon to transfer about half of the garbanzo beans from the pot into a food processor. Add about a cup of the broth to the food processor and blend into a smooth purée. Add the purée back to the soup pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with torn basil leaves and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle chili oil over the soup to taste.