Chickpea and Leek Soup

Submitted by pr0k

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe in The Naked Chef

Serves 6. Leftovers keep well for lunches. Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 min.

Ingredients

• 12 oz chickpeas soaked overnight (I use two drained cans, 1/2 cup reserved)
• 1 medium potato, peeled
• 5 medium leeks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I use “Kitchen Basics” brand when I can. No MSG, no crap.)
• Parmesan cheese
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Rinse the soaked chickpeas, cover with water, and cook with the potato until tender.

Remove the outer skin of the leeks, slice lengthwise from the root up, wash carefully and slice finely.

Warm a thick-bottomed pot and the oil and butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pot, and cook gently over medium to medium-low heat with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet, about 10 min.

Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook about 1 minute. Add about 2/3 of the stock and simmer for 15 min.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add the reserved chickpeas (if you want a few whole ones floating around, otherwise cook them with the rest.)

Add the remaining stock to desired consistency. Simmer another 5 min.

Serve with:

• Freshly grated parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
• Crusty bread

Add a salad and it’s one of the best lunches ever.

I have made this with dried chickpeas that were soaked overnight and cooked properly. It does taste better that way, but it's much, much faster to use canned. This is a weeknight dinner for working people.