Ingredients
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4 cups chickpeas (2 cans or about 1 pound of dried if you are using them)
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3 large garlic cloves, chopped (feel free to use more if you are not adding sausage)
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5 tablespoons olive oil
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2 potatoes, peeled and coparsely chopped (I like Yukon gold)
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2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
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2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
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1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
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4 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade and unsalted)
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3/4 lb spinach (either frozen chopped or fresh baby spinach with stems removed and chopped)
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2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (add one and taste(you may like less than the whole two spoonsful)
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1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (or to taste)
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste)
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3 large yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Stir fry the garlic and onions in 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy saucepan until translucent.
- Add the potatoes and stir fry another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the herbs and allow them to meloow over low heat for about 12 minutes.
- Add the broth, raise the heat and bring the soup to a gentle simmer, add the chickpeas, cover and cook slowly for about one hour or until everything is soft.
- If you like your soup to have texture, ladle out a cup or so of chick peas; if you prefer it mostly smooth, don't.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is as smooth as you like.
- Add in the spinach, the reserved chickpeas(if you reserved them) and simmer twenty to thirty minutes--until the flavors are blended.
- Now stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and serve, hot, with crusty bread.