Tunisian Chickpea Soup Recipes

LABLABI (TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP)

Steps:

• Prepare the crispy chickpeas: Transfer chickpeas to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean dish towel or paper towels. Cover with another towel (or paper towels) on top, rubbing gently to dry. Remove top towel and let air-dry for at least 30 minutes and preferably 1 hour.
• As chickpeas dry, start preparing the soup: In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot, combine soaked chickpeas, 5 cups water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt over high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chickpeas are tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. While chickpeas are cooking, cut bread into thick slices, then tear slices into bite-size pieces. Place bread in one layer on large rimmed baking sheet and toast until crisp and light brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on pan and set aside.
• Finish the crunchy chickpeas: Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove the towels from baking sheet with the chickpeas, and toss the chickpeas with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and za'atar until well coated. Roast until golden and crispy, about 13 to 18 minutes, tossing halfway through. When chickpeas are still hot, sprinkle lightly more salt. Taste and add more salt or za'atar, or both, if you'd like.
• When the chickpeas for the soup are tender, discard bay leaves. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 2 cups of chickpeas, 1/2 cup of chickpea cooking liquid and 1/4 cup olive oil to a blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blitz half the chickpeas into a rough purée. Add the olive oil before puréeing. The broth won't be as silky as it would be puréed in a regular blender, but it will taste just as good.)
• In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cumin and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add a splash of the chickpea cooking liquid to the pan, and bring to a simmer to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat.
• Add chickpea purée and onion mixture to soup, along with harissa and lemon juice, and stir well. Add a little water if soup seems too thick, and more salt, if needed.
• To serve, divide toasted bread pieces among soup bowls, then ladle in soup. Garnish with lemon zest, parsley, olive oil, more cumin and some of the crispy chickpeas - you'll have leftovers. Serve hot, with more harissa on the side.

TUNISIAN CHICKPEA STEW WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion, and saute 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Lower heat to medium, add the carrots and garlic, thyme and salt and pepper and sauté 6-7 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, fennel seeds and tomato paste, and saute until the paste darkens about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits. Reduce by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the broth or stock.
• Add the chickpeas, kale and carrot tops, bring to a simmer, and simmer on med-low heat 10-15 minutes.
• Taste for salt, adjust and add more if necessary.
• Swirl a teaspoon of harissa paste at a time for added flavor ( Alternatively, you could add it to individual bowls)
• To serve, divide among bowls and either drizzle with olive oil, or swirl in yogurt, and a little more harissa to taste. Serve with crusty bread.
• To make the Quick Harissa Paste- Place oil and vinegar in a blender, then gradually add spices, salt and garlic until all is blended well. Store in a jar in the fridge- up to 2 weeks. Makes ¾ cup.

LABLABI - TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Wash chickpeas and soak overnight (if using dried).
• If desired, rinse them again. In a large soup pot, cover chickpeas with water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (ten to twenty minutes). - Or start with two pounds of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed, and heated in four cups of water.
• Add garlic, harissa sauce, ground cumin, and salt. Simmer for ten minutes. Immediately before serving: add lemon juice, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Serve hot.

TUNISIAN GARLIC AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy-bottom soup pan. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the drained chickpeas, water, cumin and coriander. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a separate pan. Add the vegetables, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.
• Stir the vegetable mixture into the chickpeas. Transfer half the soup to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the purée to the pan, then add half the lemon juice. Taste and adjust lemon juice. Season with S&P. Heat through. Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle with the chopped fresh cilantro and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add all the spices and 'dry fry' to release all the aromatics. This should only take about a minute or two. Now add the chickpeas, barley, stock and coconut milk. Cover partially and simmer for 35-40 minutes. The barley should be tender. Transfer a third of the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the pureed soup back to the saucepan and stir through. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and add the lemon juice. Add the spinach to the soup and heat through until the leaves are wilted. Ladle into bowls and scatter over the almond flakes and drizzle with a some coconut milk, if you like.

LABLABI (TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP)

Steps:

• Combine stock, chickpeas, harissa, cumin, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce temperature, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Divide bread, chopped parsley, cilantro, and capers between 4 soup bowls. Scoop an egg from the shell into each bowl, pour soup on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

LABLABI (TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP) FROM 'THE HEART OF THE PLATE'

Steps:

• Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then transfer them to a soup pot, large saucepan, or Dutch oven, along with the water and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the chickpeas are completely tender, an hour or longer. (You want to err on the soft side.)
• Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat for about a minute, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cumin, and cook, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the onion becomes soft. Add the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 10 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.
• When the chickpeas are very tender, add the onion-garlic mixture, scraping in as much as you can of whatever adhered to the pan. Collect the remaining parts (this is flavor!) by adding the lemon juice to the skillet and stirring it around, scraping the sides and bottom (deglazing), then pouring all of this onto the chickpeas as well. Taste to adjust the salt (you will likely want to add up to another 1/2 teaspoon) and grind in a generous amount of black pepper to taste. At this point, if you choose, you can puree some of the chickpeas with an immersion blender.
• Cover and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so before serving.
• Optional Enhancements: A few strands of saffron added to the cooking water in step 1 A spoonful of harissa Touches of torn fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or mint Crushed red pepper A poached or fried egg added to each serving A drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (or a citrus-spiked olive oil) Cooked diced carrot mixed in A spoonful of thick yogurt on top A sprinkling of capers on top A spoonful or two of cooked brown basmati rice or couscous stirred in Chopped, pitted olives on top-or a bowl of assorted olives on the side Crisp, cold radishes on the side-whole or sliced Chopped or slivered Marcona almonds Sliced ripe tomatoes on the side