Why does the broth look opaque? Because the chickpeas were pureed using an immersion blender. That gives the soup the consistency of chowder without need of making a roux.
What sausage is best for this soup? Italian garlic sausage was used here. Spicy. If you prefer less heat, try bratwurst or schublig. If you like spicy but not hot, Spanish chorizos are ideal. Note, however, that because Spanish chorizos often contain a lot of paprika, the color of the cooked soup will be reddish.
Rosemary is the only herb that went into the soup. And it was chosen for its cirtusy scent and aroma — the perfect partner for the garlicky sausages.
Heat a little olive oil in a pot and add the cubed sausages. By the time they brown, they would have also rendered fat and that mixture is what you’ll use for the next step.
Scoop out the browned sausages, set them aside, and saute chopped onion and rosemary leaves in the mixture of olive oil and sausage fat.
Pour in broth and drop in the chickpeas. Simmer to allow the flavors to blend. Then taste the broth. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Now we naturally thicken the soup. Turn the heat off first or move the pan away from the stove. Plunge an immersion blender directly into the soup and process until the chickpeas have been pureed and the soup is thick.
Then, place the pot on the stove again, turn on the heat and drop in shredded cabbage. We add them at this stage, after the chickpeas had already been pureed so that the cabbage goes not get pureed too.
Take the browned sausages, add to the soup, stir and cook the soup over low heat until the cabbage is soft. Because the cabbage would have soaked up the salt in the broth, taste one last time and add more salt, if needed, before serving.
Sausage, chickpeas and cabbage soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 grams sausages - cut into half-inch cubes
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 sprig rosemary - stripped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup canned chickpeas - drained (reserve some for garnish)
- salt
- pepper
- 3 cups shredded white cabbage
Instructions
- In a large thick pot, heat the olive oil.
- Add the sausages and brown over medium heat.
- Scoop out the sausages, dump the chopped onion in the oil and add the rosemary. Cook, stirring, until the onion bits are softened and lightly browned.
- Pour in the broth.
- Add the chickpeas.
- Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about five minutes.
- Taste the soup, and add as much salt and pepper as needed (how much really depends on how well-seasoned the chicken broth is).
- Take the pot off the heat, plunge in an immersion blender and puree the chickpeas.
- Return the pot to the stove, set the heat to low and drop in the cabbage.
- Add the browned sausages back into the pot.
- Stir, cover the pot, and continue simmering until the cabbage is soft.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
- Ladle the chunky chickpea soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas.
