Moroccan Chickpea Soup
This is a great soup to savor after spending a day skiing or building a snowman. Its soothing and warming, rather than fiery hot. Half the soup is pureed and half is left chunky to combine the best of both textures. A pressure cooker makes this soup superfast and…
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This is a great soup to savor after spending a day skiing or building a snowman. Its soothing and warming, rather than fiery hot. Half the soup is pureed and half is left chunky to combine the best of both textures. A pressure cooker makes this soup superfast and easy (see Variation below).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, soaked and drained
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for each bowl
Preparation
In large pot, combine chickpeas, bay leaf, saffron and 7 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 hours, until chickpeas are almost tender.
In medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir onion mixture into chickpeas, and simmer until chickpeas are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Remove beans from heat, stir in 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and let stand 5 minutes.
Remove bay leaf. Transfer half of soup to food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Pour purée back into soup. Add additional water, if necessary, to thin soup. Add lemon juice and more salt if desired. Stir in parsley. Serve hot, garnished with extra parsley.
Variation: To make this soup in a pressure cooker, heat oil in pressure cooker. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chickpeas, bay leaf, saffron and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Lock lid in place, and bring to high pressure. Cook over high pressure 25 minutes. Let pressure come down naturally; remove lid, and add 11/2 tsp. salt. Proceed with Step 3, above.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 295
- Carbohydrate Content 43 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 9 g
- Fiber Content 12 g
- Protein Content 13 g
- Saturated Fat Content 1 g
- Sodium Content 21 mg
- Sugar Content 0 g