Italian cuisine · Soups & Stews

Mesciua Spezzina

A stew from La Spezia with chickpeas, cannellini beans and wheat berries, seasoned only with olive oil and pepper.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 150 g chickpeas (dried)
• 150 g white beans (soaked overnight)
• 150 g wheat berries
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the chickpeas, beans and wheat berries separately overnight in plenty of cold water – each kind needs its own cooking time and is therefore cooked separately.
2. Drain the chickpeas, bring to a boil in fresh water with one garlic clove and the bay leaf, and cook until tender for 70 min.
3. Cook the wheat berries in a second pot for 60 min. until they burst open but still have bite, then drain.
4. Cook the beans in a third pot with the second garlic clove and the rosemary sprig for 50 min. until creamy-soft; then remove the herbs.
5. Combine all three in one pot with about 600 ml of the chickpea cooking water, add the coarse sea salt and let steep over low heat for 10 min. until the broth is slightly cloudy and thick.
6. Ladle into deep bowls, drizzle each portion with 2 tbsp olive oil and serve lukewarm with plenty of coarsely ground black pepper.