Greek chickpea soup Recipe:

INGREDİENTS

½ cup olive oil + extra 2 tbsps, divided

1 large red onion

2 cloves garlic

2 celery sticks

1 carrot

2 tbsps oregano

1 sprig rosemary, needles only, minced

1 bay leaf

2 x 400 g (14 oz) chickpea cans (or 450 g / 1 lb dry chickpeas)

750 ml (3 cups) vegetable stock

2 lemons, juice of

Fresh parsley, optional

INSTRUCTİONS

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and fry the onion over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the carrot and celery to the pot together with the oregano, rosemary and bay leaf. Stir well and tip in the chickpeas and vegetable stock.

Stir well and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes with a lid on.

When the soup is done, turn off the heat. Add the extra two tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and chopped parsley if you want and stir well. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with crusty bread on its own.

NOTES

If you think that the soup is too thick, add some more vegetable stock.

To thicken the soup, try to crush some of the chickpeas with a wooden spoon.