(Hummus) Chickpea Soup
My wife made this dish first, and even when following the recipe to the letter, I feel like she has the gift of the chickpea soup, which is funny because usually she hates chickpeas! I figure this supports my theory that cooking is an art, fueled by the creative right side of the brain. Like art, every dish, even the familiar dishes, are unique each and every time. The first time we dined on Hummus chickpea soup, I was skeptical. If you were thinking of warm cement-like sabra-brand hummus when I say “chickpea soup” that’s not what this recipe is about at all. I promise you, I’ll never cook with sabra brand hummus!
Sheryl Crow’s If it Makes You Healthy was a birthday gift from a friend, and it’s a wonderful collection of healthy, seasonal and delicious food and this dish is no exception. I’d imagine you can go heavy on the chickpeas for a thicker soup if you wanted to, but the quantities given make the perfect soup. It’s rare that I refrain from tweaking a recipe from a book, after all, I’m an artist, but with with this dish, there’s no need!
(Hummus) Chickpea Soup Recipe
You’ll need the following:
- 6 Cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegan dish – this is the original dish, the chicken stock is my adaptation)
- 3 15-ounce cans of chick peas
- Juice of one lemon (original recipe calls for 4 tablespoons but we quite like lemon!)
- 3 Tablespoons tahini paste
- 3 Teaspoons chopped garlic
- 3 Teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 Teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 Teaspoons ground turmeric
Warm your chicken, or vegetable, stock and put it in to a food processor, or blender and add all the ingredients. Then transfer back into a pot and bring to a simmer over a medium-low heat while stirring occasionally.
Serve with fresh-from-the-oven bread rolls, pita chips or home made croutons. The original recipe calls for a tablespoon of pesto in the middle of soup. I have also served this with a garnish of fried onions and toasted pumpkin seeds for an extra, gluten-free crunch!
This is short, fool-proof and delicious. Perhaps now you’ll understand why the chick pea is one of my favorite edible delights!