Camaiore private cooking class: Chickpeas Cacciucco and a lovely restaurant near the forest

Around 2 days ago I went running a private cooking class near Camaiore (Lucca Province). The Holiday House was at 50 minutes from my home, and the way to go was unpaved and uphill, steep.

I drove for about 5 Km over a dirt road, large no more than 3 meters, with a precipice and no guard rail on the right side. Anyway, you know our motto: “We come to wherever you’re staying in Tuscany, to prepare the tasteful dishes with you”.

The family we met for the Private Cooking Class was from U.K. and they chose a completely veggie cookery course menu: The Tuscan Soups.

I already posted you the recipe about my favorite soup: Acquacotta, and I can’t stop to spread to my friends and readers one of my successful dishes: the Onion Soup.
Today is the time of Chickpeas Cacciucco, known here in Tuscany as “Cacciucco di terra” (Italian for no-fish Cacciucco). Real Cacciucco (you’ve just to use this name to have the dish) is, in fact, a fisherman soup made with all variety of “poor” fish that you can find in Tirreno Sea (the Tuscan sea). It was born in Livorno, a sea-town near Pisa, where you can taste the best fish of Tirreno sea.

Well, now we’re talking about a veggie dish belonging to the “poor-cooking”.

If you come to Tuscany and you’d like to taste one of the best Chickpeas Cacciucco I suggest 2 options:

1) You call us, CuocheinVacanza (Chefs on Vacation) and we’ll prepare it together, following the original recipe

2) Go near Camaiore, to Casoli or Candalla…there are some restaurants near the forest where you can find a good example of this old, poor soup. I love to have dinner there, with my husband or friends.

Anyway, if you stay at home, there’s a third option: I leave you the recipe below. Wishing I could please my Facebook friends @Rosalie, @Dolly and @Roberta.

Chickpeas Tuscan Cacciucco

Recipe by Erika Elia (CuocheinVacanza.it)

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients (4 people)

3 cups boiled and drained chickpeas
3 tbsp Extra virgin oil
3 cloves garlic
5 anchovy fillets
4 cups veggie broth (or water)
1 tbsp tomatoes paste
4 tbsp grated parmesan
8 oz, 250 gr chard leaves
4 slices bread croutons
to taste salt
to taste black pepper

Cooking Directions

Over medium heat, pour 3 tbsp extra virgin oil in a pot with 1 garlic clove cut in half; add the anchovy fillets. Wait until anchovy melt, stirring well with a wooden spoon.
Add drained chickpeas continuing stirring until they take all the flavors of the sauce with anchovy and garlic.
Add the chard leaves coarsely chopped
Cover all up with hot veggie broth (or hot water), previously mixed with 1 tbsp of tomato paste
Cover with the lid and cook for about 30 minutes
taste the salt…
Toast the bread croutons in the oven or in a pan (no adding oil)
Rope them with garlic (one side)
set them at the bottom of each serving bowl
pour on the top the chickpeas and the broth
sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan
serve it immediately