Chilled Chickpea and Tahini Soup

11 years ago

Since the temperature has been on the rise, I’ve been focusing on using the oven and stovetop less often by preparing recipes which keep the kitchen (and me) cool.
Because I was looking for a change from chilled madzoon (yogurt) soup, I decided to switch gears and make one with chickpeas and tahini. This dish is basically a pourable version of hummus. It’s easy to prepare, and with the vegetable topping, it’s like having soup and salad all in one bowl!

Chilled Chickpea and Tahini Soup

Yields about 4 to 4 ½ cups
Soup Ingredients:

2-15oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil
Dash of ground cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper, optional
½ tsp. Kosher salt
1 small garlic clove
2 to 3 tablespoons tahini

Vegetable Topping Ingredients:

½ cup roasted red pepper, diced (chopped tomatoes may be substituted)
½ European cucumber, chopped –or- 2 Persian cucumbers
¼ cup chopped sweet – or – red onion
¼ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crumbled feta cheese- or – toasted pine nuts, optional

Directions:

Step #1

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal “S” blade – or a blender, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper (if using), salt, garlic, and tahini. Starting with 1 cup of water, gradually add to the food processor, blending until smooth and pourable. (NOTE: I used about 1 ½ cups water in all.) Taste; adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

2. While the soup is chilling, prepare the vegetable topping: In a small bowl, combine the roasted red peppers (or tomatoes), cucumber, onion, olives, parsley and salt and pepper to taste; cover and chill until ready to serve.

Vegetable Topping

3. Just before serving, stir chickpea mixture. If it has thickened, add a little more water. Pour into individual serving bowls; top each with a spoonful of vegetable mixture and some crumbled Feta cheese or toasted pine nuts, if desired. Drizzle with additional olive oil.