Chickpea soup
Description
The recipe won't take much time. Once chickpeas were considered some kind of Eastern exotic product in Russia, but today they are widely available at markets and supermarkets. I've grown very fond of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), especially soups made from them. Chickpea soups always turn out hearty and rich, and they have excellent shelf life—you can keep the soup in the refrigerator for 3–4 days without it spoiling or losing its flavor. This soup deserves a place in your menu. Serve hot.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water with a pinch of salt. Use plenty of water—chickpeas will swell significantly within a couple of hours, and we need the water to completely cover them.
- 2
Step 2
The next day, when the chickpeas have reached the desired consistency, we begin cooking the chickpea soup. First, chop our meat with bone and some fat into small portion-sized pieces.
- 3
Step 3
Place the meat in a large pot, pour 4 liters of cold water over it, and put it on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: slice the onion into half-rings, cut the carrot into thin rounds, dice the pepper into small cubes. Just peel the garlic, without mincing.
- 4
Step 4
In a skillet, melt the butter and add all the vegetables except for the garlic and herbs.
- 5
Step 5
Fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Then add tomato paste to the pan (if you have good tomatoes, you can finely chop 2-3 of them and add instead of the paste), mix well, cook for another 3-4 minutes, and remove from heat.
- 6
Step 6
As soon as the broth with meat comes to a boil, skim off the foam and add the chickpeas to the pot. Adjust the heat so that the contents simmer slowly. Cook the chickpeas with the meat for about 1 hour at a gentle simmer.
- 7
Step 7
After an hour, add a head of garlic to the pot (whole or separated into cloves), bring the soup to a boil, and add the sautéed vegetables from the frying pan.
- 8
Step 8
10 minutes after adding the vegetables to the soup, season it with salt and pepper, and optionally with other spices (coriander works well). Simmer gently for another 15 minutes, then remove from heat, let it steep, covered, for 10 minutes, ladle into bowls, and serve.