Last Call...

Although I love rosemary, it is an herb that I usually reserve for colder days. Since this fluctuating weather is dipping back into the colder temperatures, I thought I might give it one last go.
And since it is only sold in large bundles, I have had to find various ways to use it all up.
Like a chickpea & mushroom soup inspired by an episode of Lidia's Italy. Danny and I craved this after seeing a late night episode ran on PBS, and I finally had the motivation to make it. I did deviate from her recipe but tried to keep to the same method.

1/2 pound dried chickpeas

3 strips of bacon, diced into small pieces
1 cup button mushrooms, chopped

1 white onion
1 stalk of celery
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 water

10 oz. can of whole tomatoes

Start by prepping your chickpeas- put them into a pot and boil them for two minutes. Turn the heat off and cover with a lid and let this sit for about an hour. This will soften them and make it easier to peel them.

Once your chickpeas are peeled and ready, take the onion, celery, garlic and rosemary and puree it together in a blender until it forms a paste. Reserve this onion mix.

Place a medium sized pot over high heat and cook the bacon until it starts to brown- then add the mushrooms and cook until they start to take on color, and then season to taste (depending on the bacon you use, you may not have to use additional salt). Pour in the onion mix, and cook this, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown and stick to the pan. In a bowl, crush the tomatoes, and then add into the pot. Let this gently cook for a minute, and then add in 6 cups of water. Add in your chickpeas and let this simmer for 1 hour, or until the chickpeas are tender. Drizzle in a little olive oil, and there you have it, my spin on Lidia's soup.