Spice Roasted Chickpea and Cauliflower Soup

After a few feet of snow that have been piling up throughout eastern Canada (and mostly the US), the temperature is dropping, so it’s time to curl up with a hearty and satisfying soup. This soup was inspired by a recipe in one of the fall issues of Bon Appétit magazine and has since taken on many phases of evolution.

First I made the original one from Bon Appétit which you can find here. You have to try these chickpeas; they are seriously addictive. Spicy, nutty and crunchy; best of luck getting them from the baking sheet to the table.  The key really is in the toasted cumin and coriander seeds spice blend that I also used for the catfish sandwich.

On another occasion I had planned on making the same recipe but had cauliflower sitting in my fridge that really needed to be consumed asap. So I added the cauliflower florets to the baking sheet along with a couple of cloves of minced garlic.

Then this other time, I was having some friends over for dinner and was serving a cauliflower purée as a side (boil cauliflower until tender, blend with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and that’s all folks), and needed some sort of presentation topping. Eureka, the roasted chickpeas were perfect!

Finally, one dreary weekend in January I had a craving for something hot and filling…and that is how this Spice Roasted Chickpea and Cauliflower Soup came to be.

Wanna make it? Here’s how:

• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tbsp toasted cumin and coriander seeds spice blend
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for roasting
• 4 cups diluted broth (broth mixed with water, half and half)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the chickpeas, cauliflower, onion, garlic with the spice blend and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until brown and caramelized, tossing the vegetables once in a while to cook evenly.

Allow to cool slightly then process in your blender gradually adding the diluted broth until you have reached the desired consistency. I used chicken broth, but for all the vegetarians out there, you can easily substitute with veggie broth. Pour into a pot and bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Note: The soup will thicken when reheated on the stovetop. Either add more diluted broth while blending or reheating.