Garbanzo Bean Soup with Spinach and Saffron

A very very easy soup to detox from the various roasts, capons, tortellini, agnolotti (another shape of traditional stuffed pasta dish), duck a l'orange, local cold cuts, pate', Russian salads, panettoni, vol-au-vent, chocolate truffles, torrone and dried figs.
Even a short run would be good, though...


Garbanzo Beans Soup
with Spinach and Saffron
for 4 people

dried garbanzo beans 200 gr. (about 1 cup)
garlic 2 cloves
onion 1 small
vegetable bouillon cube 1/2
salt, pepper, olive oil, saffron to taste
fresh spinach 1 full bunch

The night before, soak the beans in plenty of water. The next day, drain and place them in a large pot. Let them simmer at low-medium heat covered with water until they are tender. Stir every once in a while and add more water if necessary. Depending on the beans and on how long they've soaked, it'll take between one and two hours. In a separate pan, saute the chopped onion and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the beans and their water, few saffron threads, 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube (optional), salt and pepper. Let simmer for another 15-20 minutes. If you'd like a lighter soup, avoid sauteing the onion and simply add garlic cloves, bouillon cube and saffron directly in the pan with the garbanzo beans and their cooking water.
Wash the spinach and discard their stems. Chop up the leaves and add them to the soup at the end, so that they'll cook just slightly. Stir well and serve with some olive oil and freshly ground black pepper on top. Yum....