Grass pea soup (zuppa di cicerchie)

The grass pea (cicerchia) is a hardy and very ancient pulse, grown in mountain fields around Castelvecchio Calvisio and nearby villages. Its seeds are flattened and angular, with a floury taste halfway between chickpea and lentil.

Soup is the most traditional way to eat it: long cooking, few aromatics and good extra virgin olive oil. The same grass peas are also used with sagne pasta and as a purée served with meat.

• 300 g dried grass peas
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2–3 cherry tomatoes or a spoonful of passata
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and chilli
• Toasted country bread

1. Soak the grass peas in plenty of cold water for at least 24 hours, changing the water two or three times.
2. Drain, rinse and put them in a pot covered with fresh water and the bay leaf; simmer for about one and a half to two hours, until soft.
3. In a pan warm the oil with the garlic, rosemary and chilli; add the tomatoes and let them cook.
4. Add the grass peas with some of their cooking water and cook for another 15 minutes, mashing a few to make the soup creamier.
5. Season with salt, remove the rosemary and serve on toasted bread with a drizzle of raw oil.

• Never reuse the soaking water: always throw it away.
• An earthenware pot keeps the cooking gentle and even.
• If you have leftovers, blend them the next day and serve as a cream soup.

We do not have photos of this dish yet: the image is an illustration made for this page.

In mountain villages the grass pea was the pulse of hard years: it withstands drought and gave a crop when others failed. Thanks to its nutrients it often replaced meat.

After decades of neglect it is back in the fields of Castelvecchio Calvisio, and every summer the village holds a festival in its honour.