Egyptian Chickpea and Orzo Soup

Combine the broth, water, garlic and onion in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the chickpeas and continue to cook for 15 minutes or so, until the chickpeas are very soft and tender, the soup well-flavored, the garlic and onions soft. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley. Meanwhile, cook the orzo or other pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until tender; drain. Serve the soup in bowls, ladled over the orzo, each bowl with a wedge or two of lemon to squirt in, then leave to impart its lemony flavor from the rind. Serves 4. PER SERVING: 305 calories, 16 g protein, 54 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 2 mg cholesterol, 6 mg sodium, 4 g fiber. Excerpt from SF Chronicle 05/06/98 Food Section see www.sfgate.com ; Busted by HANNEMAN Notes: "If you have no orzo, use spaghetti broken into short lengths before cooking. And if you have any of the ends youve snapped off asparagus, this is a good place to use them. Jut cut them into thin rounds and add to the soup about 5 minutes before serving. They are delicious with the chickpeas." Recipe by: Marlena Spieler, San Francisco Chronicle (1998) Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Kitpath <phannema@wizard.ucr.edu> on May 07, 1998