Recipe: Roasted Chickpea Soup with Walnut Pesto

Soup:
1/2 yellow onion,diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups heavy cream
3 16-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons sherry

Walnut Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 ounces fresh basil leaves, about 1/2 cup

Saute yellow onion and garlic with the olive oil in a stockpot until tender. Spread the chickpeas in a shallow pan and roast them in a 350-degree oven for 8 minutes. Add chickpeas to the onions and garlic in the stockpot, add chicken stock and cream, stir, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Let cool, then put the mixture into a bender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour it through a sieve into a clean pot and bring the soup to a rolling boil. In a small bowl, whisk the sherry into the cornstarch until there are no lumps and stir the mixture into the boiling soup until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make the pesto, roast walnuts for 8 minutes in a 350-degree oven, let cool, then place in a blender or food processor with remaining ingredients and pulse for about two minutes.

Pour the hot soup into bowls and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the pesto into each bowl; serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.