Pine Nut & Chickpea Soup

I saw Deborah Madison make pine nut and chickpea soup many years ago at a cooking demo to promote her (then) new book The Vegetarian Table: America

I was intrigued by this bizarre-seeming recipe, bought the book, and waited in line to get it signed by the author. Pine nuts in a soup - what a great idea!

I love hummus but, to be honest, I've always had to kind of force myself to cook with chickpeas and strictly limit their quantity. The chickpeas are pureed in this soup and I love it! The pureed pine nuts impart a wonderful nutty richness to this warm, creamy soup. Top with jalapenos, serve with pita chips and this soup is a meal, made in a flash!

While Madison's soup inspired mine, my recipe (and soup) is quite different.

Here's the recipe:

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. carrot, diced (very small)
1 small potato, diced small
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned chickpeas
Salt and pepper
32oz vegetable stock
jalapeno to serve

Melt the butter and oil and cook the onions for 4 minutes. Add the carrot, potato, and pine nuts and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Add the vegetable stock, chickpeas and cumin and seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Check the seasonings and serve topped with jalapeno.

I've seen many great looking recipes for chickpeas on blogs lately. Here's a few favorites:

• Roasted Chickpeas at Nosheteria


• African Coconut and Chickpea Soup at Gluten-Free Goddess


• Chickpeas with potatoes and tomatoes at Bunnyfoot