Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard

Ingredients

• 1  bay leaf 
• 1  carrots chopped
• 1 rib celery chopped
• 1 teaspoon rosemary dried fresh chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 0.3 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper black
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1  onion chopped
• 1 pinch red-pepper flakes dried
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 3 cups veggie broth low-sodium homemade canned
• 0.5 pound swiss chard cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup tomatoes in purée thick canned chopped
• 0.5 cup tubetti 

Equipment

• food processor
• pot
• blender

Directions

1. Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of the broth in a blender or food processor. In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat.
2. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the pureed chickpeas, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, red-pepper flakes, tomatoes, tubetti, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Add the Swiss chard to the pot. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
5. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the black pepper. If the soup thickens too much on standing, stir in more broth or water.
6. Wine Recommendation: Since a red wine would accent the Swiss chard's bitterness, try a full-bodied tocai friulano. Its nutty flavor will mirror that of the chickpeas.