New England Soup Factory's Spicy Chickpea and Butternut Soup

winkki's Note:

When we lived in Boston, we loved to get soup from the New England Soup Factory, known for their hearty and unusual combinations. This is one of their recipes. Although it's a 'cream' soup, since the base is coconut milk it remains vegan. The coconut is perhaps not what you're used to seeing with chickpeas and butternut but it really adds a sweet richness and fullness.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
• 2 cups finely chopped onions (I use much less!)
• 1 cup celery (minced or diced)
• 2 cups carrots , sliced
• 6 cups butternut squash , peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 cups canned tomatoes , diced
• 4 quarts well-flavored vegetable stock
• 2 cups tomato juice
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 cups canned chick-peas
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon minced scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro , chopped
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in a large heavy stockpot.
2. Sauté 1-2 minutes.
3. Add onions, carrots and celery.
4. Sauté 10-15 minutes.
5. Add squash, canned tomatoes, stock, tomato juice, soy sauce, lime juice, chickpeas, ginger and coriander; bring to a boil.
6. Cook until all the vegetables are tender, approx 30 minutes. Add coconut milk, flaked coconut, coconut extract and cilantro, warm through.

Reviews

[cyaos]

This is a highly unusual soup. We both liked it but froze the leftovers because we just couldn't eat too much of it - it almost becomes overwhelming after awhile and this recipe makes a lot of soup! Hopefully it does freeze okay. I did not add the full amount of broth called for - I used about 2 quarts instead and it made it a thicker, heartier soup for our main course. I did put in extra garlic and used a little extra fresh grated ginger and omitted the coconut extract as I felt that would make the taste too sweet. Next time I will omit the flakes as well - not only did they add too much sweetness - it looked rather unappetizing. Thanks for posting!

[Andrea-Oz]

My soup pot wouldn't hold 4 quarts of stock on top of everything else, so I only used about 2 3/4 quarts. Everything else was about on qty. I also used coconut cream instead of milk and no extract or flakes. I lightly blended it at the end so it was nice and thick with a few chunks still. Next time I will halve the soy sauce - it was too strong for me, but my b/f liked it as is though.

[Gnome Al Aska]

I usually like unusual, unique dishes but this soup was too weird for me. A better name for it would be "Tomato/Lime broth with root vegetables and quirky flavorings". The flavor of the squash was totally lost in the lime/tomato tongue-smasher and the coconut added an odd texture, unpleasant odor and clinging aftertaste. Tomato/lime/coconut - Hmm, maybe if I chilled it and added about half its volume in vodka...