Carrot Soup With Lemon, Tahini & Crisped Chickpeas

From Smitten Kitchen

My soup vice is because I’ve already confessed to finding it a little dull, that I overcompensate with add-ins. Here, there’s a dollop (lemon-tahini), a crouton (cumin-crisped chickpeas), wedges of toasted pitas (brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with za’atar) and a garnish (parsley). If you’re not me, this might seem like overkill, in which case you should definitely just use the ones you find the most interesting.

Serves 4, generously or 6, petitely

Ingredients

Soup

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 2 pounds (905 grams) carrots, peeled, diced or thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 regular or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more if needed
• Pinch of Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
• 4 cups (945 ml) vegetable broth

Crisped chickpeas

• 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-ounce (425-gram) can, drained, patted dry on paper towels
• 1 generous tablespoon (15 ml or so) olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Lemon-tahini dollop
3 tablespoons (25 grams) tahini paste
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
Pinch or two of salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

Pita wedges, garnish
A few large pitas, cut into 8 wedges
Olive oil, to brush pitas
Za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice-herb blend) or sesame seeds and sea salt to sprinkle
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions

Heat two tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper flakes and sauté until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss chickpeas with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and cumin until they’re all coated. Spread them on a baking sheet or pan and roast them in the oven until they’re browned and crisp. This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size and firmness of your chickpeas. Toss them occasionally to make sure they’re toasting evenly.

Once vegetables have begun to brown, add broth, using it to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cover pot with lid and simmer until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small dish, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, salt and water until smooth with a yogurt-like consistency. If more liquid is needed to thin it, you can add more lemon juice or water, a spoonful at a time, until you get your desired consistency.

Spread pita wedges on a second baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with za’atar or a combination of sea salt and sesame seeds and toast in oven with chickpeas until brown at edges, about 5 minutes.

Puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls. Dollop each with lemon-tahini, sprinkle with crisped chickpeas and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pita wedges. Forget January, you’d eat this anytime. Right?

Laura Simon's Root Vegetable Latkes

A note from Katherine of Cook With What You Have

"Make Latkes out of most any root veggie: this week I've made them with carrots and rutabagas and with sweet potatoes and turnips. Mix and match depending on what you have on hand. Add herbs if you'd like. My four-year-old gobbles them up. It's generally a great way to get unfamiliar veggies in little (or big!) tummies.

I added lots of fresh oregano (thrives in my garden this time of year when not much else does) to the carrot and rutabaga ones along with some finely chopped onion, an egg and a bit of flour. You'll need to adjust quantities based on how much grated veg you have. They're pretty forgiving though. I pan fry them in just a small amount of oil. Top with sour cream or Greek yogurt and dig in!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled (you could skip the peeling using banana fingerlings) 
• 1/2 pound parsnips (sub rutabagas) 
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or dried thyme, rosemary or fresh garden oregano) 
• 3 tablespoons matzo meal or unseasoned bread crumbs (or flour) 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
• 2 or 3 eggs, lightly beaten (the final amount will depend on the starchiness of the potatoes)
• Vegetable or corn oil for frying

Directions

Place a large fine-meshed sieve over a large bowl. Grate the potatoes and place in the sieve. Grate the parships and carrots and place in another large bowl. Add the onion, dill, matzo meal, salt, and pepper to the parsnip mixture.

Using your hands, squeeze the potatoes a palmful at a time over the sieve to remove as much moisture as possible. Add the squeezed potatoes to the parship mixture. When all the potatoes have been squeezed, remove the sieve and carefully pour off the potato liquid while leaving the white potato starch in the bottom. Add the starch to the vegetable mixture. Add 2 eggs and thoroughly combine. Put a scant 1/4 cup of the mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten with your other hand. If the mixture sticks together, you can form the remaining mixture into cakes. If not, add another egg and then form the cakes. In a medium, heavy-bottomed skilled over medium heat, heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Place a few of the cakes in the hot oil and fry until dark gold on one side. Flip with a spatula and cook the second side until golden. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven while frying the remaining cakes. Serve hot.