Tuesday, March 17: Curried Carrot Soup with Crispy Chickpeas

It was a gloomy day (starting with snow, ending with rain) — the perfect weather for soup! I made Amanda Frederickson’s Curried Ginger Carrot Soup with Crispy Chickpeas, adding a lemon-tahini drizzle for extra flavor. It was so good that I (as always) ate too much and couldn’t move for about three hours after.

For the soup:

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, warm a few TB olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion, 2 pounds chopped carrots, 1 pound chopped Yukon Gold potatoes, and a big pinch of salt and cook (covered), stirring occasionally, until very soft — about half an hour. (Note: because we’ll be blending the soup later, you do not need to be precise when chopping the veggies, but the smaller they’re chopped, the shorter they’ll take to cook.) Add 1 TB curry powder and a 1-inch piece of ginger (thinly sliced or grated), and cook for a few more minutes. Pour in 2 cups chicken or veggie stock and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are incredibly soft and flavors are melded. Finally, add contents of the pot (broth and veggies) to a blender, and blend until smooth — adding additional stock to thin to your preference (I like it on the thicker side!). You can also blend with an immersion blender. Return soup to pot over low heat and reheat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle soup into a bowl and top with a drizzle of lemon-tahini sauce and a handful of chickpeas (see below).

For the chickpeas:

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 can of drained, rinsed chickpeas, 1 TB olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, and a pinch of kosher salt (to taste). Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until crispy (shaking pan halfway through cooking).

For the lemon-tahini drizzle:

Whisk together 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup tahini (well-stirred), juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/4 tsp cumin, a few shakes of cayenne, a big pinch salt, and 1 grated clove of garlic (optional). Taste and add more lemon, salt, or spices for flavor, or more water to thin to pourable consistency.