Creamy Chickpea & Rosemary Soup

- Carla -'s Note:

We love chickpeas so this recipe from Chef April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig "gastro-pub" in Greenwich, Manhattan soon became one of our favorites.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaf, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 (15 -19 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• sea salt

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic starts to brown, about 1 minute.
3. Add chickpeas and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes; let cool slightly.
5. Transfer soup to a blender; cover loosely, and puree until just smooth.
6. Return to the saucepan and stir in lemon juice and sea salt to taste.
7. Serve, garnished with a fresh rosemary sprig, or an additional drizzling of olive oil.

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

Easy to make and especially good with fresh rosemary from the garden. I also found the soup too thick for my liking and added extra broth to desired consistency. Cooked on LOW in a crock pot for several hours. A large spoonful of cooked brown rice was added (to make the soup more of a main dish) to each serving along with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of black pepper and a few fresh rosemary leaves. Thank you.

[SarasotaCook]

I was torn on how to rate this. 3 for the texture and flavor, but with just a few adjustments a 5. I loved the overall flavors and the easy prepardness. I love chick peas so this was something I had to try. I added a bit more chicken broth, more lemon juice, more rosemary and some fresh ground black pepper. The base flavor was definitely there, but for me, being a bit thinner with more flavor was needed.

I garnished it with some fresh parsley and grilled pita bread that had a Greek seasoning on it which was really good and easy. A lemon slice in the soup was also very good as the lemon flavor kept going through the soup when it was warm.

Thanks for a very simple recipe, and it was really good, but for me, I just needed to adjust a few things to my liking. It was a very nice recipe.

[bakinphotogeek]

This was wonderful!! And so easy to make! I did add extra chicken broth from the advice of other reviewers. I ended up putting around 5 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, used a couple dashes of onion powder but other than that went with the recipe. The lemon juice, as others have said, was a very nice touch, and finishes off the recipe well. I really think this would make a great base soup to create other soups with. I think adding a small amount of grain and some veggies would make a very hearty lunch meal covering all your bases.