Chickpea and Lentil spicy herby soup
(Serves up to 6)
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 carrots – finely chopped
- 2 onions – finely chopped
- 1 small courgette – finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves – finely chopped
- 1 preserved lemon – finely chopped
(or you can add 1 tbsp lemon juice to taste at the end of cooking) - 2 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
- 2 heaped tsp Harissa spice
- 2 heaped tsp Ras el Hanout
- 400ml tomato passata
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas – drained
- 140g dry green lentils
- 1–1.25 litres vegetable stock
- A good handful of frozen basil leaves
(fresh if you have some available) - Chopped parsley and natural yoghurt to serve
Method:
- Using a large pan, heat the oil over a low heat and gently fry the onions and carrot until soft but not brown.
- Add the courgettes, garlic and preserved lemon (if using), and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped thyme, harissa, ras el hanout, lentils, chickpeas, passata and 1litre of stock. Reserve the remaining stock.
- Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Taste the lentils at this point. Lentils can have variable cooking times depending on their age. You may need to carry on cooking for up to another 30 minutes.
- If the soup is too thick for your liking, then add more of the reserved stock.
- Add the basil, plus the lemon juice to taste if you have not used the preserved lemon and season if necessary.
- Serve with chopped parsley and a spoonful of natural yoghurt.