Ingredients

Makes about 2 quarts

　　2 teaspoons olive oil

　　2 slices pancetta, chopped fine

　　1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and diced

　　2 celery stalks, diced

　　4 oregano sprigs

　　A pinch of dried chile flakes (optional)

　　Salt

　　4 garlic cloves, chopped

　　2 cups cooked chickpeas

　　2 cups chickpea cooking liquid

　　2 cups chicken stock

　　1 bunch of broccoli rabe

　　A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

　　

Step 1

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add:

　　2 teaspoons olive oil

　　2 slices pancetta, chopped fine

　　

Step 2

Cook for 3 minutes and then add:

　　1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and diced

　　2 stalks celery, diced

　　1 onion, diced

　　4 oregano sprigs

　　A pinch of dried chile flakes (optional)

　　

Step 3

Cook, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Turn down the heat if the vegetables start to brown too quickly. When the vegetables are cooked, add:

　　Salt

　　4 garlic cloves, chopped

　　2 cups cooked chickpeas

　　

Step 4

Cook for a few minutes and pour in:

　　2 cups chickpea cooking liquid

　　2 cups chicken stock

　　

Step 5

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Meanwhile, trim off and discard the woody stems from:

　　1 bunch of broccoli rabe

　　

Step 7

Wash and drain, chop coarsely, and add to the soup. Cook for another 10 minutes. Test a large rabe stem. If it is not tender, cook the soup a few more minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve garnished with:

　　A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

　　Variations

　　• Use 1 small bulb of fennel in place of the celery.

　　• Use cannellini or borlotti (cranberry) beans instead of chickpeas.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Art of Simple Food II: Recipes, Flavor, and Inspiration from the New Kitchen Garden by Alice Waters. Copyright © 2013 by Alice Waters. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.ALICE WATERS is the owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café in Berkeley, California, and the founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project. She has received three James Beard awards and the IACP Lifetime Achievement award. Her most recent books are the New York Times bestsellers 40 Years of Chez Panisse and The Art of Simple Food, In the Green Kitchen and The Edible Schoolyard.