Creamy Chickpea and Carrot Soup

Recipe made 5 servings ~1.5 cups each.

Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 C. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 lb. carrots, chopped
• 2 Tbsp.  minced garlic
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp.  cumin
• 1 tsp.  coriander
• 2 tsp.  smoked paprika
• 1 tsp.  chili flake*
• 4-6 C. vegetable stock**
• 1 C. dried chickpeas, rinsed, picked over, and soaked if you have time**
• 3/4 C. orange juice***

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot
2. Sweat onions until they’re translucent. 5-7 minues.
3. Add carrots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook another 5-10 minutes until the onions start to brown a little.
5. Add cumin, coriander, and paprika and chili. Cook for a minute until you can smell all the spices.
6. Add dry (or soaked)** chickpeas and liquid. (I used vegetable stock.)
7. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chickpeas start to break down. Add more liquid to keep it soupy. (This could take an hour or two. Or not. See below.)
8. When the chickpeas are soft add the orange juice and blend in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, and you’ve twenty bucks, get one. You won’t regret it.)
9. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot. (or freeze in single servings.

Cook’s Notes:

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman’s Creamy Carrot and Chickpea Soup.  When it was finished it reminded me a lot of pumpkin soup, both in flavor and texture. In fact, if I served it and told you it was pumpkin soup, I’m guessing you wouldn’t blink. I blended it to smooth, but it would be good chunkier too if you prefer that texture. I made mine in a pressure cooker so it took less than an hour. On the stove, if you don’t soak your chickpeas, it will take more like 1.5-2 hours.

Adaptations:

*I added coriander and chili flake. The Coriander because I think coriander and cumin nearly always go together. The floral of the coriander cuts the earthiness of cumin on its own. I added chili because this soup runs to the sweet side.  and I thought it needed the heat. If you don’t like heat, a splash of white wine or apple cider vinegar would also cut the sweetness.

**  I made my soup in a pressure cooker, so the liquid doesn’t evaporate while it simmers like it would on the stove. I cut the liquid to four cups of stock. It was still pretty soupy when I blended it. Other than the orange juice I didn’t add more liquid.  The soup will take less time if you soak your chickpeas over night. If I was making this on the stovetop, I’d probably start with cooked chickpeas rather than dry ones. I cooked my soup on high pressure for 40 minutes, and let the pressure drop naturally rather than releasing it.

***The recipe calls for a full cup of orange juice. I used fresh squeezed. My oranges were pretty sweet. I was worried about how sweet this was going to be, so I started with half a cup and tasted as I went. I ended up with about 3/4 of a cup in the soup. I’d taste as you go, starting with tasting the soup before you add any orange juice. If it’s already sweet for your taste I’d add lemon juice or cider vinegar instead of the orange juice.