Tunisian Chickpea Soup (Lablabi)

I am a big fan of toppings, so this creamy, earthy, and hearty vegetarian soup caught my eye. It is served over toasted chunks of bread and then garnished with crunchy, spiced chickpeas, lemon zest, parsley, a sprinkle of cumin, and a drizzle of olive oil. I also loved that the soup incorporated a little spice from harissa.

This recipe was adapted from Cool Beans by Joe Yonan, via The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I used a stove top pressure cooker to cook the beans which significantly expedited the cooking process. I also served the soup over toasted sourdough boule chunks in lieu of rustic bread. Great.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

For the Crispy Chickpeas:

• 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon za’atar, plus more to taste

For the Soup:

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 loaf hearty rustic bread (about 6 to 8 ounces)(I used 1/2 of a sourdough boule)
• 1 cup chopped onion, from 1 medium onion
• 6 to 8 large garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon harissa paste, plus more for serving
• freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 large lemon (about 3 T)
• finely grated zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 T), for serving
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving

To Prepare the Crispy Chickpeas:

1. Transfer the rinsed and drained canned chickpeas to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean dish towel or paper towels.
2. Cover with another towel (or paper towels) on top, rubbing gently to dry.
3. Remove top towel and let air-dry for at least 30 minutes and preferably 1 hour. (I let them dry for 2+ hours.)

To Prepare the Soup:

1. In a pressure cooker (I used a stove-top pressure cooker), combine soaked chickpeas, 5 cups water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt over high heat. (Alternatively, use a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot.)
2. Place the pot over high heat, until the pressure cooker reaches the second ring (high). Adjust the heat to maintain the pressure for 35 minutes. (If using a stockpot, bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chickpeas are tender, about 1 to 2 hours.)
3. Remove from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
5. While chickpeas are cooking, cut bread into thick slices, then tear or cut slices into bite-size pieces.
6. Place bread in one layer on large rimmed baking sheet and toast until crisp and light brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on pan and set aside.
7. Finish the crunchy chickpeas: Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
8. Remove the towels from baking sheet with the chickpeas, and toss the chickpeas with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and za’atar until well coated.
9. Roast until golden and crispy, about 13 to 18 minutes, tossing halfway through. When chickpeas are still hot, sprinkle lightly with more salt. Taste and add more salt or za’atar, or both, as desired.
10. When the chickpeas for the soup are tender, discard bay leaves.
11. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 2 cups of chickpeas, 1/2 cup of chickpea cooking liquid and 1/4 cup olive oil to a blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. (I used a Vitamix.)
12. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering.
13. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
14. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
15. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cumin and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add a splash of the chickpea cooking liquid to the pan, and bring to a simmer to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat.
16. Add chickpea purée and onion mixture to soup, along with harissa and lemon juice, and stir well. Add a little water if soup seems too thick, and more salt, if needed.
17. To serve, divide toasted bread pieces among soup bowls, then ladle in soup.
18. Garnish with lemon zest, parsley, olive oil, more cumin and some of the crispy chickpeas — you’ll have leftovers. Serve hot, with more harissa on the side, as desired.

Shakshuka with Feta

As in my last post, this recipe was re-published in a New York Times special section called One Pot/Pan/Skillet: 24 Brilliant Recipes for Everyone Who Hates Doing the Dishes. My dream. 🙂

During this time of self-quarantine, I have made or plan to make several other dishes from this collection including past favorites like One-Pan Shrimp Scampi with Orzo and Mustard Chicken with Shallots and White Wine.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. We ate it for dinner with a crusty sourdough baguette and a giant green salad. This quick and tasty dish can be served any meal of the day.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne, or to taste
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped (I used San Marzano)
  
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more as needed
• 5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 6 to 8 large eggs (I used 7)
• chopped cilantro, for serving
• hot sauce, for serving
• warm pita or crusty bread, for serving

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. (I used a large enameled cast iron pot.)
3. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute.
5. Pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
7. Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper.
8. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes.
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce and warm bread.

Cauliflower Tagine

This dish was the perfect way to celebrate my beautiful CSA cauliflower. Although the base of this tagine was a bit spicy, the cauliflower and cheesy breadcrumb topping offset the spiciness and created a perfect balance. Because I didn’t have the Tunisian spice blend, Tabil, on hand, I was able to create the spice blend myself. The spiciness in the final dish could be easily modified by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes in the spice blend.

The tagine recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. I reduced the amount of olive oil to lighten the recipe. I also included a leek as well as green and yellow bell peppers from my CSA share. The spice blend recipe was adapted from Epicurious.com. It was a full-flavored and fabulous vegetarian casserole.

For the Tabil Spice Blend:

Yield: about 3 tablespoons

• 1 1/2 T coriander seeds
• 2 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 T caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Finely grind all ingredients in a spice mill.

Note: The remaining spice blend can be reserved in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the Tagine:

Yield: Serves 6

• 8 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, cut into half moons and rinsed
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons Tabil (recipe above)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2-pounds cauliflower (about 1 to 1 1/2 heads), cored and cut into 2-inch florets
• 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 3 ounces, 1 cup,  Gruyère cheese, shredded
• 5 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400°, preferably on convection.
2. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and leek and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, bell pepper, paprika, Tabil, tomato paste and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pepper softens, about 7 minutes.
5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and water and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Spread the cauliflower in the baking dish.
7. In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the Gruyère and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the beaten eggs; spread the mixture over the cauliflower.
9. Cover with foil and bake in the upper third of the oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling around the edges.
10. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes longer, until browned and crisp on top.
11. Let the tagine stand for 10 minutes before serving.

One Year Ago:

• Fried Eggs with Greens & Mushrooms
• Arugula Salad with Corn & Burrata

Two Years Ago:

• Simple Caesar Salad
• Clams Casino #2

Three Years Ago:

• Roasted Zucchini with Thyme

Four Years Ago:

• Warm Lentil Salad with Seared Tuna & Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
• French Green Lentil & Beet Salad with Orange-Mustard Vinaigrette

Five Years Ago:

• Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto
• Pad See Ew