Carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas
It’s the first week of January, so I will go out on a limb and guess that no fewer than 52 percent of you are gnawing on a carrot stick. If you’re not chewing on a carrot stick right now, you probably have some within reach of you. If they’re not within distance of you, they’re in your fridge because you, like most of us, are more ambitious when it comes to grocery lists than you might be when it’s time to consume said groceries. And if they’re not in your fridge, you might have them on your mind, nagging at you. Early January is like that. (Late January is all about rich comfort foods. Trust me.)
I set off 2012 on this site with a carrot soup, and it’s not accidental that I was doing the same in 2013. You see, one of the sadder facts about me is that I’m plagued with indecision about everything, from bangs to coffee tables to soups, and before you ended up reading about Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame and maybe even some pickled scallions, I had at least three ideas for carrot soup spinning in my head, It likely took me a solid week with immeasurable hemming and hawing to settle on the miso version first. This carrot tahini soup was the first runner-up last year, but it’s clear to me that eating my first bowl of this right now was a mistake. The inspiration is one of my favorite snacks (sadly, not shared by my assistant yet), carrot sticks dipped in hummus*, and here I tried to deconstruct the two things only to reconstruct them better.
Amazingly, both carrot soups originate from the same place, so I don’t care much about it. And I know what you’re thinking: “Three carrot soups? When you barely like one? Weirdo!” But, I’d argue pickiness, namely mine, needn’t be so much a roadblock but a source of inspiration. I enjoy finding ways I can make things I once believed to be not my thing very much my thing. If I find carrot soup vaguely sweet and flat, how can I make it complex, textured, and bright? Last year it was miso, sesame, and pickled scallions. This year it is even better: some smoky cumin, coriander, and pepper flakes sauteed with the soup vegetables, a swirl of lemon-tahini to finish, and loads of crispy chickpeas as croutons. It’s all sorts of January-ness in a bowl — vegetarian, nay, vegan, antioxidants! Alpha-carotene! Beta-carotene! Potassium! It’s like one spoonful of quinoa short of Food Blog Deity status. But — snore! — really, it’s just good. January or not, that’s the only good reason I can think of to eat something.
Hummus? I was thinking about doing an updated post on hummus with a different technique, but only if there’s interest. Update: As you wish, Ethereally Smooth Hummus!
More: Carrots and soups, previously
One year ago: Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame
Two years ago: Chard and White Bean Stew
Three years ago: Walnut Pesto, Spicy Caramel Popcorn, and Southwestern Pulled Brisket
Four years ago: Veselka’s Cabbage Soup, Spelt Everything Crackers, Feta Salsa, Zuni Cafe’s Roast Chicken and Bread Salad, Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake, Sausage Stuffed Potatoes + Green Salad
Five years ago: Caramel Cake, 96 Favorites, and Viennese Cucumber Salad
Six years ago: Boozy Baked French Toast, Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti, Coq au Vin
Carrot Soup with Lemon, Tahini, and Crisped Chickpeas
My soup vice is because I’ve already confessed to finding it a little dull, that I overcompensate with add-ins. Here, there’s a dollop (lemon-tahini), a crouton (cumin-crisped chickpeas, which might sound familiar as they’re also here), wedges of toasted pitas (brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with za’atar) and a garnish (parsley). If you’re not me, this might seem like overkill, so you should use the ones you find the most interesting.
Serves 4, generously or 6, petitely
Soup
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 pounds (905 grams) carrots, peeled, diced, or thinly sliced
One large onion, finely chopped
Four regular or six small garlic cloves peeled and smashed
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more if needed
Pinch of Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
4 cups (945 ml) vegetable broth
Crisped chickpeas
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, or one 15-ounce (425-gram) can, drained, patted dry on paper towels
One generous tablespoon (15 ml or so) of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Lemon-tahini dollop
Three tablespoons (25 grams) tahini paste
Two tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
Pinch or two of salt
Two tablespoons (30 ml) water
Pita wedges, garnish
A few large pitas, cut into eight wedges
Olive oil to brush pitas
Za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice-herb blend), sesame seeds, and sea salt to sprinkle.
Two tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper flakes and saute until they begin to brown about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss chickpeas with one tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and cumin until coated. Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until they’re browned and crisp. This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your chickpeas. Toss them occasionally to make sure they’re toasting evenly.
Once vegetables have begun to brown, add broth to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cover pot with lid and simmer until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk tahini, lemon juice, salt, and water in a small dish until smooth with a yogurt-like consistency. If more liquid is needed to thin it, add more lemon juice or water, a spoonful at a time, until you get your desired consistency.
Spread pita wedges on a second baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with za’atar or a combination of sea salt and sesame seeds, and toast in the oven with chickpeas until brown at the edges, about 5 minutes.
Puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls. Dollop each with lemon tahini, sprinkle with crisped chickpeas, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pita wedges. Forget January; you’d eat this anytime. Right?
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