Sifnos baked chickpea soup (Revithada)

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water; the next day drain and rinse them.

2. Slice the onions into thin half-moons.

3. Put the chickpeas, onions, rosemary, bay leaves and olive oil in a lidded ovenproof pot (clay is best), then pour in enough water to cover by three fingers (about 1.5 litres).

4. Cover and bake at 160 °C for 3.5-4 hours, until the chickpeas are buttery soft and creamy and the onions have almost melted; check after 2 hours and top up with hot water if needed.

5. Finally season with salt and pepper and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.

6. Serve drizzled with lemon juice, with fresh bread.

Tip: On the island of Sifnos it goes into the wood oven on Saturday night and is eaten on Sunday after church. In a slow cooker it turns out perfectly in 8 hours on low.