Abruzzo
A dense mountain soup from the Abruzzo highlands combining cicerchie (grass peas — a legume with a nutty, chickpea-like flavour) and farro (emmer wheat) with fried guanciale, wild herbs and peperoncino. Cicerchie were a staple crop of the Apennines before chickpeas replaced them — this soup preserves an older flavour profile now largely forgotten.
Earthy, nutty, warmly spiced with chilli; guanciale fat gives richness; the cicerchie have a mineral depth unlike any other legume — a soup that tastes of mountain survival food
{"Soak cicerchie 24 hours minimum — they are very dense and even longer soaking (up to 48 hours with water changes) is preferable","Cook cicerchie separately as they require 90–120 minutes and more cooking time than farro","Fry guanciale in its own fat until crisp before adding to the soup — the rendered fat is then used to sauté the aromatics","Add farro 30 minutes before serving — it absorbs liquid quickly and should retain a slight bite","Season with peperoncino directly into the soffritto at the start for a deep, integrated heat"}
{"Toast the farro in the guanciale fat for 2 minutes before adding liquid — this gives a nutty, roasted depth","A small smoked pork bone added at the start perfumes the broth with smoke without adding visible meat","Cicerchie have a slightly earthy, mineral flavour — this is correct; do not try to cook it out"}
{"Insufficient soaking of cicerchie — they take far longer than chickpeas or borlotti and will be hard even after 2 hours of cooking if under-soaked","Adding farro too early — it overcooks to mush within 45 minutes in a long-simmering soup","Not using guanciale fat as the base — it provides the defining porky richness that lard or pancetta cannot replicate"}
La Cucina Abruzzese — Tradizioni Pastorali