"A simple to prepare, but hearty Greek chickpea soup."
Revithosoupa - Chickpea Soup
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Prep time: 10mins
Cook time: 1hr
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 400 gram dried chickpeas
- 1 1/2 litre water for soaking
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 brown onions finely chopped
- 4-5 medium ripe tomatoes pureed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
Method
How to make the Revithosoupa...
Step 1
Sort through the chickpeas and discard any stones, chaff or distinctly discoloured chickpeas
Step 2
Add the chickpeas, 1½ litres of water and bicarbonate of soda to a bowl and mix thoroughly
Step 3
Soak the chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 – 10 hours
Step 4
Place the chickpeas in a colander and rinse them thoroughly to remove all of the bicarbonate of soda
Step 5
Add the chickpeas to a large (6 litre) pot
Step 6
Add the chopped onions, pureed tomatoes, olive oil, salt and 2 litres of water
Step 7
Bring the pot to a rolling boil and then reduce it to a gentle boil
Step 8
Place a vented lid on the pot and continue to gently boil for at least 1 hour or until the chickpeas have cooked through
Step 9
Check and stir the soup every 15-20 minutes
Step 10
Make sure the chickpeas are covered by the stock; add more water if the stock level reduces too much and the chickpeas have yet to cook through
Step 11
Allow the soup to rest for a few hours (or more) before serving
Serve the Revithosoupa
Step 1
Serve the soup warm or hot with crusty bread and enjoy!
Key Points
Step 1
Different chickpeas soften at different rates. Once the chickpeas have soaked, they may need more or less time to cook through. I have been using organic chickpeas to make this soup and I boil them for 1½ hours or more and they are still quite firm when they are cooked – they don’t seem to break apart or disintegrate, no matter how long I cook them. Just like pasta, the chickpeas should have a bit of body when you eat them – a small amount of resistance ‘to the tooth – al dente’ when you eat them – not hard and not mushy either.
Step 2
The riper the tomatoes, the deeper the colour of the soup and the richer the flavour. Tomatoes should never, ever be refrigerated. Buy the best quality tomatoes you can afford or grow your own in summer. Firm, red tomatoes can be used for salads or fresh salsas. When the tomatoes begin to ripen further and soften, remove their stalks, puree them – skin, seeds and all – and use them for sauces and soups!
Step 3
Like all soups, the longer you leave them to rest after the ingredients have cooked through, the better the flavours will come together.
Recipe Variation
Step 1
This recipe can be made without tomatoes and made more as a thick chickpea stew. You just need to reduce most of the liquids during the cooking process and allow the dish to rest (the longer the better). Before serving the chickpea stew, reheat it if you wish and then finish the dish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some ground pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice.