Chickpea, Tomato and Bread Soup

Description
This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi's vegetarian cookbook "Plenty". It was published in guardian.co.uk
 * Serves four to six.

Ingredients

 * 1 large onion, sliced
 * 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced
 * about 120 ml olive oil
 * 1 large carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthways and sliced
 * 3 celery sticks, sliced
 * 1 tbsp tomato purée
 * 250 ml white wine
 * 400g tinned Italian plum tomatoes
 * 1 tbsp chopped oregano
 * 2 tbsp chopped parsley
 * 1 tbsp thyme leaves
 * 2 bay leaves
 * 2 tsp caster sugar
 * 1 litre vegetable stock
 * salt and black pepper
 * 160 g stale sourdough bread (crust removed)
 * 400 g cooked chickpeas
 * 4 tbsp basil pesto (ideally homemade)
 * 1 handful shredded basil leaves

Directions

 * 1) Heat the oven to 180 °C / gas mark 4.
 * 2) Put the onion and fennel in a large pan, add three tablespoons of oil and sauté over medium heat for four minutes.
 * 3) Add the carrot and celery, and soften, stirring occasionally, for four minutes.
 * 4) Add the tomato purée, stir for a minute, then add the wine and let it bubble for a minute or two.
 * 5) Add the tomatoes, herbs, sugar and stock, and season.
 * 6) Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
 * 7) Meanwhile, break the bread into chunks, toss with two tablespoons of oil and some salt, and scatter in a roasting tin.
 * 8) Bake for 10 minutes, until thoroughly dry, then set aside.
 * 9) About 10 minutes before you want to serve, put the chickpeas in a bowl and crush them a little with a potato masher or the end of a rolling pin; you want some to be left whole.
 * 10) Add the chickpeas to the soup and simmer for five minutes.
 * 11) Next add the toasted bread, stir and cook for another five minutes.
 * 12) Taste the soup and add salt and pepper liberally.
 * 13) Ladle the hot soup into bowls.
 * 14) Spoon some pesto in the centre, drizzle with plenty of olive oil and finish with shredded basil, if you like.