Pumpkin soup with chickpeas: a bridge between India and the Maghreb

I suggest you today a simple soup recipe. It is a recipe among those I love cooking winter evenings. It is cooked with seasonal products and sometimes I do it after work because it requires little time. To change a little bit from classic soup recipes, I subtly use spices such as the famous Ras El Hanout used in the couscous and the Indian Garam Masala or the West Indies spice called Massalé. The result is amazing and delicious.  

So for a good and comforting winter soup you will need:

Ingredients (serve 4):

• 1 slice of pumpkin (about 600 gr)
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large floury potato
• 2 leeks
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small can of chickpeas (about 50 gr)
• 1/2 onion
• A tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional)
• ½ teaspoon Ras el Hanout
• ½ teaspoon Garam Massala or Massalé
• 1 pinch of cumin
• 1 liter of chicken stock
• Salt

Method:

Wash, peel and coarsely cut the pumpkin, potato and carrots.

Clean the leeks and celery and cut into rings.

Cut the onion into small dice.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide pot.

Sauté the onions and add the pumpkin, carrots and potato.

Add the spices but not the salt yet and stir well.

Add the chicken broth.

Cook the vegetables for about 25 minutes.

Then add the leeks and celery stir and cook for 15 minutes.

Once the vegetables are cooked, remove the pan from the heat.

Pour the vegetables in a blender with the chickpeas and cream cheese and half of the cooking water. Blend well. You must have a creamy soup. Add some cooking water if necessary.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to low heat.

 Add salt to your taste and stir.

Serve with some chickpea seeds on top.

I enjoy this soup with toasted slices of bread or Indian flatbreads such as naan , chapati and paratha or the Magrebhian batbout bread ...

Enjoy!