Chickpea soup doubles as a dip

I just made a chickpea soup that can also serve as a dip so I thought I’d share it with you. I took some liberties with a traditional Greek dish and it seems I’ve created something that can be eaten as a comforting soup on chilly nights (or days for that matter) and can also be served as hummus. It’s not expensive at all to make, if you use dried chickpeas, instead of the ones that come in cans, and it’s certainly healthy. You can add fresh coriander to this dish for more flavor, and perhaps an inch of ginger root, minced, for its flavor and health properties. Here it is: I hope you enjoy it! (Chickpeas are chickpeas in US English.)

Chickpea soup

4 ounces dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight

1 large onion, sliced, preferably red

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 hot green chilies, cut in half on the side

rosemary and thyme to taste

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

If you need salt, add it after you’ve cooked the chickpeas.

Method

Put all the ingredients in a large skillet and cover the chickpeas with water. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for about an hour. When the chickpeas are cooked, allow the mixture to cool and then blend to make a thick soup or sauce. Eat with fresh, crisp bread.

If you want to add spices like chili powder, whole cumin seeds, and maybe a cinnamon stick, first fry the spices before adding the other ingredients. This will give you a dhal type dish, and you can again use it as a sauce or soup, as long as you mix it to the right consistency.