Chickpea and Harissa Soup #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

 

This is a hearty vegetable soup with an amazing range of flavors and textures. Harissa, a red pepper paste associated with Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Libya, adds a wonderful burst of spice and, with the tomato paste, adds to the soup’s lively color. The addition of homemade, seasoned croutons turns this into a perfect meal for a cold winter night.

As mentioned in the list of ingredients, remember to save 1/3 cup of the chickpea liquid before you drain them. Stirring it into the soup adds richness. I used vegetable bouillon, but substitute chicken bouillon or broth if you prefer. Want more spice? Add another dollop of harissa to your bowl at the table.

We’re able to find harissa paste at our local grocery store. It comes in jars and tubes. If harissa isn’t available in your area, you can substitute (to taste) with Sriracha, chipotle paste, or your favorite hot sauce. You can also find recipes online to make your own harissa paste.  

 

Chickpea and Harissa Soup

Adapted from Milk Street Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball

Makes 6 to 8 servings

 

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

6 medium garlic cloves (not shown in photo)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons ground cumin, toasted, divided

6 tablespoons harissa

Two 15 1/2-ounce cans chickpeas – save 1/3 cup of the liquid and drain the rest

2 quarts vegetable bouillon

8 ounces crusty bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick and torn into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges (to serve) (not shown in photo)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pitted green olives or capers (to serve – some at our table don’t like olives but love capers so we offer both)

 

Directions

In a small, dry skillet over medium, toast cumin, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring until it browns, about 2 minutes.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cumin and the harissa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add chickpeas, the reserved 1/3 cup liquid, and the bouillon. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil over high. Reduce to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet over medium, combine the bread, the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is crisp and light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let croutons cool in the pan, then transfer to a bowl.

When the soup is ready, stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Place a small handful of croutons in the each soup bowl. Ladle soup around them. Sprinkle with some of the remaining cumin, more harissa, chopped cilantro, olives or capers. Serve with lemon wedges.

 

Coming in June 2025!

There’ll be Shell to Pay

Haunted Shell Shop book 2

 

When she’s not selling seashells by the North Carolina seashore from her shell shop, Maureen Nash is a crime-solving sleuth with a ghost pirate for a supernatural sidekick . . .

Maureen is still getting used to life on Ocracoke Island, learning how to play the “shell game” of her business—and ghost whispering with the spirit of Emrys Lloyd, the eighteenth-century Welsh pirate who haunts her shop, The Moon Shell. The spectral buccaneer has unburied a treasure hidden in the shop’s attic that turns out to be antique shell art stolen from Maureen’s late husband’s family years ago.

Victor “Shelly” Sullivan and his wife Lenrose visit the shop and specifically inquire about these rare items. Not only is it suspicious that this shell collector should arrive around the time Maureen found the art, but Emrys insists that Sullivan’s wife is an imposter because Lenrose is dead. A woman’s corpse the police have been unable to identify was discovered by the Fig Ladies, a group who formed an online fig appreciation society. They’re meeting on Ocracoke for the first time in person and count Lenrose among their number, so the woman can’t possibly be dead.

But Lenrose’s behavior doesn’t quite match the person the Fig Ladies interacted with online. Now, Maureen and Emrys—with assistance from the Fig Ladies—must prove the real Lenrose is dead and unmask her mysterious pretender before a desperate murderer strikes again . . .

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.