Chickpea, tomato and bread soup recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 large carrot, peeled, cut lengthways in half and sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine
• 14-oz can Italian plum tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4½ cups vegetable stock
• salt and black pepper
• 2 large slices stale sourdough bread (crust removed)
• 2½ cups freshly cooked chickpeas (canned are fine too)
• 4 tbsp basil pesto (bought or freshly made)
• handful of shredded basil leaves to serve (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the onion and fennel in a large saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of the oil and sauté on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and continue cooking for 4 minutes, just to soften the vegetables, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste and stir as you cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute or two.
2. Next, add the canned tomatoes with their juices, the herbs, sugar, vegetable stock and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
3. While you wait, break the bread into rough chunks with your hands. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and some salt and scatter in a roasting pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until thoroughly dry. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. About 10 minutes before you want to serve the soup, place the chickpeas in a bowl and crush them a little with a potato masher or the end of a rolling pin; you want some to be left whole. Add them to the soup and leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Next add the toasted bread, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper liberally.
5. Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Spoon some pesto in the center, drizzle with plenty of olive oil and finish with a generous amount of freshly shredded basil, if you like.