Chickpea soup doubles as a dip

I just made some chickpea soup that doubles as a dipping sauce, so I thought I’d share it with you. I took some liberties with a traditional Greek dish and it seems I’ve created something that can be eaten as a comforting soup on chilly nights (or on cold days) and can also be served as hummus. It’s not expensive to make, if you use dried chickpeas instead of the canned ones, and it sure is healthy. You can add fresh coriander to this dish for added flavor, and perhaps an inch of ginger root, chopped, for its flavor and health benefits. Here it is – I hope you enjoy it! (In American English, chickpeas are chickpeas.)

chickpea soup

4 ounces dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight

1 large onion, sliced, preferably red

2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 hot green chilies, cut in half on the side

rosemary and thyme to taste

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

If you need salt, add it after you have cooked the chickpeas.

method

Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and cover the chickpeas with water. Bring the liquid to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour. When the chickpeas are cooked, allow the mixture to cool and then blend to make a thick soup or sauce. Eat with fresh, crusty bread.

If you want to add spices like chili powder, whole cumin seeds, and maybe a cinnamon stick, fry the spices first before adding the other ingredients. This will give you a dhal-like dish, and again you can use it as a sauce or soup, as long as you mix it to the right consistency.