Chickpea, Butternut Squash and Harissa Soup
Harissa, a pungent, spicy, ever so slightly sweet Moroccan red pepper sauce, brings great depth of flavor to this warming soup. I keep a jar on hand to add interest to soups, stews, fried eggs, to stir into mayo for a quick vegetable dip, or for instant guacamole. I like both the Harissa sold at Trader Joe's, and Mina Harissa, sold at many supermarkets.4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Harissa sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin, ground or whole seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 15.5 oz cans reduced sodium chickpeas, with liquid
- 3½ cups (or more) water
- 1½ cups ¾-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 1 small squash, or 7-8 oz purchased squash cubes)
- ¼ white cabbage, cut into ¾" pieces (about 2 cups)
- Fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, 2-3 tablespoons harissa, (less if the harissa is very spicy, more if it's mild, less if you don't enjoy a spicy soup, more if you do; it's best to start with a smaller quantity and then add more to taste later, I started with 2 tablespoons of Mina Harissa, but added another 1 tablespoon before serving), tomato paste and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and cinnamon and stir until they release their enticing aroma, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chickpeas with their liquid (the liquid in canned beans is very nutritious and helps thicken the soup, it's quite salty in regular beans, so a good reason to choose low-sodium chickpeas), and 3½ cups water (to get every bit of goodness from the canned beans, I add the water to the bean cans and swirl, this also rinses out the cans before tossing them). Bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the squash and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup uncovered until the squash is almost cooked, for about 12 minutes.
- Add the cabbage to the soup and simmer until both the cabbage and squash are soft but still hold their shapes about 3 minutes longer, adding more water if the soup needs more liquid.
- Taste the soup and add more salt and/or harissa if desired. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy. (This soup can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to a simmer before serving, thinning with more water if desired. It is even better on the second and third days.)