Carrot soup with lemon tahini and crisped chickpeas

Carrot soup seems to go down a treat with our kids, and this one is super-special with a wonderful lemony dollop and also some crunch from roasted chickpeas.

Fresh from the garden: carrots, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Deb Perelman on smittenkitchen.com
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

What to do:

• Fill the kettle with cold water to the 1.5 litre mark and set it to boil. Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Wash and peel carrots and dice into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion. Smash and peel the garlic cloves.
• Heat two tablespoons olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté gently for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, garlic, coriander, cumin and chilli flakes and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Once vegetables have begun to brown, add the hot water and bouillon (or stock), 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 15 minutes.

To make the chickpeas:

• Meanwhile, line the tray with baking paper. Drain the chickpeas and then pat dry on paper towels and pop into a large bowl. Toss chickpeas with the olive oil, salt and cumin until they’re all coated. Spread them on the tray 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.

To make the lemon tahini:

• Meanwhile cut the lemon in half and juice to yield 2 tablespoons. In a small dish, whisk together the juice, tahini, 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.

To finish:

• Wash and spin-dry the parsley. Pick the leaves from the stalks and chop.
• Puree soup with the stick blender until smooth. Taste to check seasoning, then ladle into bowls. Dollop each with lemon-tahini, sprinkle with crisped chickpeas and garnish with chopped parsley. 

Notes: Carrot and cumin goes well together. What other classic combinations can you think of?