Chickpea Soup with Kale and Prosciutto Crumble

Silence is the best medicine. It especially helps to alleviate recent events in my life. For instance, silence treats the death of a loved one, the death of an oven, a sprained ankle, the flu, and major car problems. When life throws lemons at you like an All-Star pitcher, sit back and catch them like a pro. Park yourself in a comfy place surrounded by cute animals, Uggs, dirty tissues, Nyquil, and  Bon Appétit until the lemon storm subsides. 

Then get up, shake off the dust, possibly take a shower, and make a bowl of this soup.

Chickpea soup with kale and prosciutto crumble was inspired by an article I read in the Bon Appétit magazine while bundled up during said flu pandemic. I changed a few ingredients but the spirit of the soup is the same. It is simple, filling, and slightly tart from the aged white wine vinegar. The acidity of the soup is perfectly balanced by salty crumbles of roasted kale and prosciutto. If you love kale chips then you will love the topping for this soup. In fact, make extra.

And for an added case of the reals … my friends… get your flu shot. Ugh. 

xo

Chickpea Soup with Kale and Prosciutto Crumble

(Inspired by Bon Appétit, Feb 2013 edition)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, or 3 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large shallots, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1/4 cup aged white wine vinegar
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth (I prefer Swanson)  
• 1 cups fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 3 cups kale, stems removed and cut in to 3 inch pieces
• 3 ounces prosciutto

Directions:

1. If using dried chickpeas, in a large pot cover chickpeas with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil; turn off the heat immediately, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme sprigs; cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots and garlic are soft, 10-15 minutes. Add white wine vinegar. Bring to a rapid simmer; cook until vinegar is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chickpeas are very soft, 1 1/2-2 hours for dried chickpeas, or about 30 minutes for canned. Discard thyme sprigs.
3. Working in batches, purée soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, adding more broth by 1/2-cupfuls if needed, until smooth. Season with salt.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. On a large sheet pan, toss kale in a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out evenly on half of the sheet pan. On the other half, lay prosciutto in an even layer (If you find you need more than one sheet pan, by all means use two. Put the kale on the top rack and the prosciutto on the bottom rack). Cook until crispy, about 30 minutes; tossing once or twice during cooking.
5. Reheat soup. Divide soup among bowls and crumble kale and prosciutto on top for garnish.