Creamy Moroccan Chickpea Soup and a Coastal Drive

Dave and I took a short road trip up the coast to spend Thanksgiving, plus a few extra days, with our families and friends in San Francisco. Although, a bit of a whirlwind of a trip, we managed to snap a few photos along the way. Our week was hearty with family time–lots of cooking, eating and just hanging out. I come from a huge family–lots of nieces and nephews, and about a million cousins, so there is never a dull moment. We also were lucky enough to fit in a tiny bit of quality time at our favorite old coffee spot in the Castro, as well as a newer favorite coffee spot, not too far from the old one. It was a blast–fun and food for a whole week. In fact, one day began with a bowl of savory bread pudding and ended with a delicious dinner with friends.

Here are a few of our favorite sites we visited along the way and while in the bay area…

So, back to the soup….

One would think that with all the turkey and it’s usual trimmings, I would be posting a soup recipe incorporating turkey or one of the many favored squash varieties of the season. Well, after last weeks feast (including countless turkey and cranberry sandwiches over the weekend) and a very long drive back to LA on Sunday, I have to say, the last thing I wanted to eat was more Thanksgiving leftovers. A quick homeade soup sounded like the perfect ” we’re finally home meal.” And it was. All of the ingredients were already in the kitchen. No market or grocery store necessary.

This Moroccan Chickpea Soup was created from this recipe with some inspiration from this one too. Basically, I used the first recipe as a very loose guideline, but added onions and garlic to the mix and used a little cider instead of juice. I found the spice measurements in this recipe a good place to start. However, I added sweet paprika, more garam masala, ginger, and cilantro to suit my tastes. You could also add a dash of cumin, it’s really up to you. One more note: I added a significant amount of stock, as the soup seemed to be very thick with just the 1 cup the recipe calls for. Use your own tastebuds as your guide and spice things up as you go.

Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and cilantro.

Here is my version…

Creamy Moroccan Spice Chickpea Soup

Slightly Adapted from Food and Wine

1 tbsp olive oil

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk

1 14.4-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup  spiced cider

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 cup homemade chicken stock (or store bought)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Heat oil in large stock pot and saute onions until transluscent. Add the garlic, spices, cilantro and stir until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, cider, tomato and stir. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine.

With an immersion blender process mixture until smooth. If using a food processor, do this in small batches and return to soup pot. Once soup mixture is smooth and back in the pot add the chicken stock and simmer. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper to your liking.

I found the spice measurements in this recipe a good place to start. However, I added more garam masala, ginger and cilantro to suit my tastes. I also added a significant amount of stock, as the soup seemed to be very thick with just the 1 cup that the recipe calls for. Use your own tastebuds as your guide and spice as you go. For an even smoother consistency, strain the soup through a seive when it is slightly cooled.

Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and cilantro.

Tagged as: chickpeas, creamy moroccan chickpea soup, Soup