I admit that chickpeas is my favorite legume. In Greece we usually boil them with tomato sauce and make a wonderful soup. I first tried this different and amazing chickpea recipe in Crete, where legumes are cooked in a million different ways. A simple meal, with few ingredients, yet so tasty and healthy. Chickpea soup "lemonoriganati".
Hands on: Â Â Â Â 5 minutes (+min 6 hours for the soaking)
Cooking time: 1 hour (or 20 minutes for pressure cooker)
Serves: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4-5
Ingredients
500gr (17.6 oz) chickpeas
1 onion (big, finely chopped)
200ml (6.8 fl.oz) olive oil
2 teaspoons oregano (dry)
2 bay leaves
Salt, pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 lemon (the juice)
Broth from the chickpea soup
How to do it
Fill a large bowl with water. Add the chickpeas and let them soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
When ready, drain.
Place a nonstick pot over high heat.
Add 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the onion. Sauté for about 3 minutes, until it caramelizes.
Add the chickpeas, the bay leaves and the oregano. Stir and sauté.
Add some water until the chickpeas are fully covered (about 2-3 cm above the chickpea surface).
Lower the heat and boil for one hour. Mind to add some water if needed.
When ready, give it a try and season to taste.
Take a bowl. Add the flour and the lemon juice. Then take some broth from the chickpea soup (around a cup) and mix everything together using a spoon.
Add the mixture into the pot and mix well until all th ingredients are fully combined.
Tips
If you have a pressure cooking, the boiling process takes 20 minutes. Then open the lid and add the flour-lemon-broth mixture.
Serve with yeast bread and smoked mackerel (oh yes….divine).