Cannellini bean and tahini soup with spiced chickpea croutons

From Easy Mediterranan By Sue Quinn (Murdoch Books) Photographer: Alan Benson

Hearty and warming, with some spicy crunch from the chickpeas, this is a yummy and satisfying soup that everyone seems to love. The tahini adds a nutty creaminess, and just a hint of sesame.

Serves 4

for the soup

 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

sea salt flakes

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ras el hanout

750ml chicken or vegetable stock

500g cooked or canned cannellini beans (drained weight)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons tahini

lemon juice, to taste

freshly ground black pepper

for the spiced chickpeas

120g chickpeas (freshly cooked or canned), drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

sea salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1. First, get your soup going. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt, and fry gently over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ras el hanout, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the beans and thyme, then gently simmer for 10 minutes.

2. While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Using kitchen paper, dry the chickpeas and gently rub to remove the skins – be careful, as you don’t want them to squash. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden – be careful, as they splatter a bit. Transfer to kitchen paper to soak up excess oil, then place in a bowl and toss with the spices, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. When the soup is cooked, set aside to cool a little, then carefully ladle into a blender and blitz until smooth, or use a stick blender. (A food processor also works well, but your soup will retain a little texture from the bean skins.)

4. Return the soup to the pan and warm through over a medium heat. Add a little lemon juice, stir, then taste seasoning, adding a little salt, pepper or more lemon juice if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with the chickpea croutons on top.