Servings: 4-6

• 300 g or 11 oz or 2 cups chickpeas (garbanzos)
• 100 g or 3 1/2 oz smoked bacon
• 1 red-skinned onion
• 1 red and 2 green sweet peppers
• 1 carrot
• 2 potatoes
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• a little thyme
• 1 clove of garlic
• parsley
• olive oil

Soak the chickpeas (garbanzos) overnight in cold water with a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and one of coarse sea salt.

Rinse throughly in cold, running water, then place in luke-warm water in a casserole and heat. Add strips of bacon, the bay leaves and the thyme. Cover and cook slowly for 2 hours.

Put the finely-chopped onion in a high poat and sauté in 6 tablespoons of oil. As soon as it turns a golden colour, add the diced potatoes, the peppers (washed, seeded and cut into strips), the finely-chopped carrot and the tomatoes in chunks. Bring to the boil and cook for a quarter-hour over moderate heat, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.

The moment the chickpeas are cooked, pour the prepared sauce into them, stirring gently.

Serve in soup bowls with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. This fine soup, indeed distinctive on account of the original concordia discors of its flavours, is only good when served piping hot.