Revithosoup: houmous soup

Houmous soup may sound like some modern social-media-style mash-up recipe, but it is a very traditional Greek recipe. Father Andreas Christodoulou, my uncle, taught me how to make tahinosoupa, a recipe that the priests often eat while fasting that is (as it sounds) a soup thickened with tahini – vegan but creamy and flavourful. Houmous soup takes this to another level – it’s richer, with more of a punch due to the garlic and paprika. You can of course cook your own chickpeas, which would undoubtedly make the soup more delicious, but using jarred (or tinned) chickpeas is so easy it then becomes a regular weeknight feature.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Peel and chop the onions and carrot. Trim and chop the celery. Place a large saucepan on a medium-low heat and add the olive oil and chopped vegetables. Sauté for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to soften and become sticky and sweet, then add the chickpeas and 500ml of cooking water (or any liquid from the jar or tin, if using). Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Step 2

When the soup mixture has cooked for 20 minutes, peel and roughly chop the garlic clove and add to the pan along with the tahini and generous pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz with a stick blender, until smooth and creamy. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon, stir and taste. Tweak the seasoning by adding more lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Depending on what chickpeas you used (and if you used any chickpea liquid) you may need to add an additional 100–250ml of just-boiled water to reach a consistency you like. Pick and finely chop the parsley leaves. Serve the soup in bowls, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and the chopped parsley scattered, plus a sprinkle of paprika and toasted sesame seeds.