Spicy lamb and vegetable soup with chickpeas

Name: Spicy lamb and vegetable soup with chickpeas
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 75g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or you can use tinned chickpeas); sea salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tbsp olive oil; 300g trimmed lamb shoulder, diced into 2 1/2 cm pieces; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1 brown onion, sliced; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; 2 tsp smoky sweet paprika; 1 medium carrot, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces; 1 small potato, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces; 825ml chicken stock; handful of coriander leaves, chopped; handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped; lemon wedges, to serve; 

June 8, 2015

Winter warmer: Spicy lamb and vegetable soup with legumes.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

This is a soup that will warm you through and through. If you're in a hurry, use tinned chickpeas. Alternatively, you can also make this soup with cooked white beans, borlotti beans or lentils. Cooked short pasta makes a welcome addition, too.

Ingredients

75g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or you can use tinned chickpeas)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
300g trimmed lamb shoulder, diced into 2 1/2 cm pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 brown onion, sliced
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp smoky sweet paprika
1 medium carrot, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces
1 small potato, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces
825ml chicken stock
handful of coriander leaves, chopped
handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

*Drain chickpeas and cover with cold water. Do not season. Bring water to boil and simmer, skimming off froth, until they are soft, about 1 hour. About 10 minutes before end of cooking, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put chickpeas aside in their liquid.
Toast and grind the cumin and coriander seeds.
Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan on a high heat. Season and brown lamb pieces then remove and put to one side. Reduce heat and add garlic, onion and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 8 minutes then add ground spices, mustard seeds and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return meat to pan, add carrot, stir, then cover with stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any fat regularly.
Drain chickpeas and add to soup with the potato. Simmer for another 10 minutes, until potato is just cooked.
Check seasoning, ladle soup into soup bowls, garnish with freshly chopped herbs and serve with lemon wedges.
* If using tinned chickpeas, simply drain and add to the simmering soup to warm through before serving.