Saint Joseph's Chickpea Soup

 This recipe is modified from the recipe in Tweleve Months of Monsatery Soups.

2 cups dried chickpeas

10 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, minced

2 carrots, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 Tab. olive oil

1 bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Soak chickpeas overnight.

Boil them in the water and add the remaining ingredients and cook slowly over medium heat for one hour or until the peas and all the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup, covered for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve hot.