Smokey chickpea, spinach and lentil soup – the perfect winter warmer.

Smokey chickpea, spinach and lentil soup

We just had to share this recipe – it’s delicious! If you want a healthy and remarkably tasty supper, try this smokey chickpea, spinach and lentil soup. Serving around 6, it’s a hearty soup, perhaps more of a stoup (stew + soup), and fabulous served up with a wedge of fresh crusty Turkish bread.

smokey chickpea soup ……. Great served up with toast and a squeeze of lemon!

Health benefits of chickpeas

Chickpeas are a staple in Turkish cuisine. Bought cheaply in either dried or canned form from most local markets and supermarkets, housewives in Turkey regularly cook up a chickpea dish for a family dinner. Chickpeas are well known for their health benefits. They are rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre making them great for weight loss. Chickpeas leave you fuller for longer and they are also a wonderful source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. Their manganese and iron content increases energy levels, and their low GI level makes them ideal for those with blood sugar issues.

Chickpeas have a unique nut-like taste. Although this recipe for smoky chickpea, spinach and lentil soup isn’t a traditional Turkish dish due to its use of smoked paprika, all the ingredients can be bought locally in Fethiye.

Smokey Chickpea Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Large onion, diced

4 Garlic cloves, diced or minced

Big handful of fresh spinach, washed and chopped

1 large carrot, diced

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika

Roughly chop a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme + sprig of fresh if you can find it

1 bay leaf

1 small can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup (2 tablespoons) dry red lentils, rinsed

1 small can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 cups (950ml) chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and black pepper to taste

      Method

1. Add spinach with the chickpeas once you have blended a couple of cups of the liquid.
2. Heat the olive oil and fry off the onions and carrots in a large pan over a medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (around 5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and thyme and stir for another minute or so. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
4. Add the red lentils, the stock and canned tomatoes. Pop a bay leaf in, a thyme sprig if you have it and give it all a good stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it bubble away for around 20 minutes.
5. Once the carrots are soft and lentils split, take out a couple of cups of the mix and puree it with a hand blender until smooth. Add this back into the soup.
6. Once you have returned the liquid to the pot, add the drained chickpeas and chopped spinach. Heat for another 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft to your liking and warm through. Add seasoning and serve with bread, a side salad and squeeze of fresh lemon.

Smokey Chickpea ……. delicious

Notes:

• Use the given amount of red lentils, other lentils tend to take far longer to cook. Adding more than the given amount will thicken the soup and give it a ‘fluffy’, less appealing texture.
• You can adapt this recipe easily and add your choice of vegetables – peas, greens or fresh beans were suggested in the original recipe so would also work well.
• You could puree the entire soup during step 3 for a smoother, thicker texture if preferred.
• If you can’t find smoked paprika (the key ingredient to give it the distinctive taste), look on the spice stalls on the open markets or ask at the spice shops found around Fethiye Fish/Veg Market.

We hope you enjoy our latest recipe, do let us know what you think in the comment section below. To view Oceanwide Properties current Turkish property selection, please see our main website.