Portuguese Spinach & Chickpea Soup (Sopa De Grao)

Another recipe adapted from Jean Anderson's "Food of Portugal." This hearty soup is from the Alentejo and can be dressed up with the inclusion of some garlicy sausage--chourico or linguica. I have taken a shortcut and use canned chickpeas and frozen chopped spinach, but using really good homemade chicken stock really makes a big flavor difference.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  cups chickpeas (2 cans or about 1 pound of dried if you are using them)
• 3  large garlic cloves, chopped (feel free to use more if you are not adding sausage)
• 3  large yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 5  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  potatoes, peeled and coparsely chopped (I like Yukon gold)
• 2  tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 2  tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
• 1  teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
• 4  cups chicken broth (preferably homemade and unsalted)
• 3⁄4 lb spinach (either frozen chopped or fresh baby spinach with stems removed and chopped)
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice (add one and taste(you may like less than the whole two spoonsful)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons coarse salt (or to taste)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

Directions

1. Stir fry the garlic and onions in 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy saucepan until translucent.
2. Add the potatoes and stir fry another 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the herbs and allow them to meloow over low heat for about 12 minutes.
4. Add the broth, raise the heat and bring the soup to a gentle simmer, add the chickpeas, cover and cook slowly for about one hour or until everything is soft.
5. If you like your soup to have texture, ladle out a cup or so of chick peas; if you prefer it mostly smooth, don't.
6. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is as smooth as you like.
7. Add in the spinach, the reserved chickpeas(if you reserved them) and simmer twenty to thirty minutes--until the flavors are blended.
8. Now stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and serve, hot, with crusty bread.