Poking around in my recipe collection the other day, I noticed I make a lot of soup. When I'm at home during the day and in search of lunch, often I'll get to poking around for things that can be simmered together. Soup suits me for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it serves as its own reward for keeping a reasonably well-stocked pantry. Homemade stock from the freezer, or even the canned stuff, plus canned beans or tomatoes, seasonings, and whatever vegetables are lurking in the fridge combine in seemingly infinite ways. My soups also typically have more nutritional value than my other go-to lunch, spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. They let me exercise another favorite habit of mine, namely, sneaking vegetables into things. I'm convinced most people, Stephen and I included, just don't eat enough vegetables. In college, I berated dorm-mates for their low produce consumption, warning of the inevitable onset of scurvy. It pleases me to slip spinach, peas, peppers, or zucchini into something I'm eating anyway. I think I subconsciously believe that if I eat enough fiber it will cancel out all the ice cream, but that's another topic entirely.
I've made soup twice this week already, and today's effort has yielded particular pleasure. I sometimes have issues with chickpeas. At their best, they soak up flavors and aromas like a sponge. They take well to Mediterranean, North African, Italian, and Indian ingredients, and can add either welcome texture or pleasant creaminess to dishes. At their worst, they're bland, floury lumps that bear an uncomfortable resemblance to tiny brains. I think this soup expresses the former.
Chickpea Soup
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and 1/2 cup of the juice reserved
1/2 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but nice)
1 small chunk parmesan cheese rind (also optional, but also very nice)
1 small pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon juice, to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan, add the onion and celery, sprinkle with salt and saute until the veggies soften. Add the bell pepper and garlic and continue to cook until the onions are translucent and beginning to color. Add all the spices and cook until they are fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and reserved juice, chickpeas, broth, and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Or, if you're hungry now, cook it at a higher heat stirring often for 15 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and parmesan rind.
At this point, you can eat the soup as it is, or puree partially or entirely. I removed about 1/3 of the soup (taking care to get more chunks than juice), pureed the rest in the pan with an immersion blender, then stirred the chucks back in. Season with lemon juice and black pepper.
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