Cream of chickpea soup with clams

When preparing this dish, remember to calculate the soaking time for the chickpeas. To simplify, you can soak them the night before bedtime and leave them overnight.

Ingredients for 6 persons:

450 g MSC-certified clams*; 200 g dried chickpeas; 2 cloves of garlic; ½ teaspoon ground red chili pepper; 1 fresh red chili pepper, not too spicy; ½ glass dry white wine; 2 bay leaves; 1 bunch finely chopped parsley; Chives; Salt and pepper to taste; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oila; 6 slices of very thin whole-wheat bread (optional).

*MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) is an international non-profit organization created to tackle the problem of unsustainable fishing with the aim of ensuring the supply of fish products for the future.

Proceedings

Prepare the chickpeas:

Rinse the dried chickpeas under running water and soak them in a bowl with a pinch of baking soda for 12 hours, changing the water once or twice. Drain them and cook them in a large pot with plenty of water and a couple of bay leaves until tender. Cook for the time indicated on the package or use a pressure cooker to reduce the time. Once cooked, drain them, setting aside a cup of the cooking water.

Prepare the clams:

Rinse the clams to remove sand and soak them in water with coarse salt for 20 minutes. Rinse them several times, trying to rub them together without applying too much pressure to avoid breaking the shells. When the drain water is free of grains of sand, rinse them one last time and discard any open clams.

Cook the clams:

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan with a couple of cloves of garlic, chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon of chili pepper, and the fresh chili pepper cut into rounds. Before it starts to sauté, add the clams, cook them for a few minutes and then add ½ glass of dry white wine. Cover with a lid, turn occasionally and cook until the shells have opened. Turn off the heat and move the pan away from the heat source to prevent the clams from continuing to cook. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the clams:

Strain the sauce through a clean tea towel and keep it aside in a bowl. Shell most of the clams and return them to the pan, keeping about 20 with the shells.

Blend the chickpeas:

Using a food processor or immersion blender, blend the chickpeas with the clam sauce and a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. If needed, adjust the salt and pepper. It should result in a smooth, smooth cream, so if necessary add the chickpea cooking liquid kept aside.

Presentation:

Divide the chickpea cream into 6 small bowls, arrange some of the shelled clams and 4-5 with the shells in each. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the chives.

Chef’s advice:

To give the dish more crunch, add a slice of very thinly sliced whole wheat bread, toasted in the oven and flavored with crushed garlic.

In the chalice:

(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Trentodoc 1673 Rosé Cesarini Sforza

Delicate antique pink with fine and persistent perlage. Clear fruity aromas of berries, blackberries, blueberries with a final nuance of wild strawberries and wild rose. The same aromas are found on the palate, in a fresh and saline, rich and silky texture.

Production area: Cembra Valley’s most vocated vineyards, with southern, southwestern exposure; altitude 450 to 600 meters above sea level; loose fluvio-glacial soils from rock disintegration.

Grape varieties: 100% Pinot Noir; Guyot and Trentino simple pergola training system; planting density 5,000 vines/ha; yield 40 hl/ha.

Harvest: Manual harvest between late August and the first decade of September.

Production processes: Soft pressing of the grapes and brief maceration in the press to extract color. Then temperature-controlled fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and aging on lysis for about 7 months. Afterwards, bottle re-fermentation is implemented. The stay on the lees is 60 months.

Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.

Serving temperature: 8-10°C.

THIS RECIPE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY CESARINI SFORZA SPUMANTI