Classy Chickpea Soup

I think it's the fresh rosemary that makes this soup classy, that or I just like alliteration.

1 lb bag of dried chickpeas
4-6 cups veggie stock
4 T olive oil
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
6 gloves garlic, crushed
1 t sea salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 t red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy stuff!)
1 lemon, juiced (start with half if it’s big and see how lemony you like this)

This soup is a study in my cooking philosophy: you can always add, you can never take away. I start with lower quantities of everything, from rosemary to garlic to lemon juice, and add more as my taste buds demand.

The easiest way to do this is in your crock pot. Let the dried chickpeas cook on low in the veggie stock all day (or overnight – about 8 hours) until the chickpeas are nice and soft. When you’re ready to finish your soup, heat your olive oil in as saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers, add the crushed garlic and let cook for 1-2 minutes, add the rosemary and cook for 1-2 minutes more (stir constantly so that the garlic doesn’t brown or burn). Take the sauce pan off the heat, and add salt, pepper, and red pepper flake. Add this entire mixture to your crock pot of chickpeas and stir. I generally then let all of this cook over low heat in the crock pot for a few more hours to let the flavors meld. Finally adding the fresh lemon juice just before serving. But, you could also finish it at that point, as long as your chickpeas are really soft, you can eat it whenever your stomach tells you it’s time. I also take an immersion blender and mash up some of the chickpeas to make a creamier soup, but that’s up to you. I like to leave plenty of whole chickpeas so the soup has a nice bite.

Note: you can also make this with a bit less veggie stock and end up with something less like a soup and more like a main dish. The chickpeas are then delicious served over rice or another grain. Or, in corn tortillas with some vegan sour cream if you’re feeling really boundary-breaking.