Week 5 -- Hummus Soup

Several years ago at a conference I enjoyed two bowls of tahini soup.  I remember it being delicious.  This recipe was my attempt to recreate that soup.  It doesn't taste like the one I remember, but it is pretty yummy.  I added turmeric to mine for extra nutrition, but if you want yours to look more like hummus, feel free to leave that out.

I used homecooked chickpeas for this.  There is no shame in canned beans (though there is plenty of salt -- try to find no salt if possible), but I have recently discovered the sweet creaminess of chickpeas cooked from dry.  The internet says they take two hours to cook, but I've found just over an hour is perfect, so start testing them at about an hour.  By the way, garbanzo beans and chickpeas are the same thing, it just depends on how erudite you want to sound when you go grocery shopping.

I recently splurged on a silicone pot cover.  It cost me about $9 online, but its value is impossible to calculate.  It keeps beans from boiling over and getting starchy bean liquid all over the stove.  Now I just have to scrub the silicone lid instead of half the kitchen when I'm done.  In the two months I've owned this, I've cooked more beans from dry than I probably did all of last year. 

On to the soup:

Thanks Mom for the new cutting boards for Christmas!  This poor board gets a workout.
And that's my favorite knife -- an "As Seen On TV" special from my Grandpa.
It's a "steak knife" but it is the best veggie chopping knife.  I use it daily.

Is there anything prettier than red onion?  I don't know.

See, that's the color I was going for!  I forgot that turmeric brightens as it sits.
Also, that parsley floating on top was annoying, but once it was rehydrated it mixed in better.

The goodness of hummus without the social pressure to use dippers instead of a spoon.

Hummus Soup

3 cups (or 2 cans) garbanzo beans, divided

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

black pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp miso paste (optional)

4-5 cups water

1. Use a little bit of water to cook the celery, onion, and garlic in a saucepan.

2. Transfer the veggies to a blender.  Blend with 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans.  Add water as needed.

3. Return soup to saucepan.  Add the rest of the garbanzo beans and the parsley.  

Bring soup back to a simmer.

4. Mix the tahini (and miso, if using), with a little water and add to the soup.

5. Add lemon juice and seasonings.  Add water as needed.  Don't overcook because the tahini will break down, just cook until the soup is heated through.

6. Optional:  sprinkle a little paprika on top for a fancy look.