Arabian Chickpea Spinach Soup

6-8 Servings

medium

Enjoy this warming and delicious soup on a cool day with Arabian Baharat or Moroccan Ras el Hanout.

Ingredients

2 TBL olive oil

3 medium onions finely chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

1-2 TBL Arabian Baharat or Ras el Hanout

2 TBL tomato paste

150g dried apricots chopped

Zest of ½ a lemon

Juice of 1 small lemon

1-19 oz can chickpeas (reserve some chickpeas and peel for garnish)

6 cups vegetable stock

1 large bunch spinach (200g), stemmed and shredded

Salt to taste

For Garnish

Scallions or parsley

Yoghurt

Chile flakes

Whole peeled chickpeas

Instructions

1

Heat oil and cook onions gently at low heat in a covered soup pot until translucent but not browned.

2

Add garlic, Arabian Baharat (or Ras el Hanout) and continue cooking stirring constantly for a minute.

3

Stir in tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes more.

4

Add apricots, lemon zest & juice, chickpeas and stock. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until chickpeas are tender.

5

Cool soup slightly, pour into blender (or blend with a hand blender in the same pot) and blend until smooth.

6

Return soup to saucepan, reheat to low simmer, add spinach and stir in until it wilts (about 5 minutes).

7

Serve. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of yogurt and coarsely chopped herbs, whole chickpeas and chile flakes if you like heat.