Greek Chickpea Soup "Revithia Soupa"

Revithia is a chickpea soup that is packed with vegetables. Refreshingly flavoured with lemon, this soup is perfect for the warmer days as well as the colder months when we naturally gravitate towards soup.

I'm always trying to find a way to incorporate more legumes into my family's diet. They are packed with plant protein and make a great meat substitute. The revithia (chickpeas) in this soupa bring protein and are packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals.

As with many Greek recipes, the beauty of the dish lies in the simplicity of the ingredients. All you need to make it are standard soup ingredients - carrots, celery and onions - along with chickpeas, lemon, some herbs and stock.

If you choose to use canned chickpeas - I have instructions for both dried and canned - the soup can come together in under 20 minutes.

What you need to make Greek Chickpea Soup

You'll need the following to make this dish:

• A large pot suitable for making the soup in
• A stick blender, blender or food processor for blending part of the soup, which is done to thicken it.

Greek Chickpea Soup ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• The usual soup vegetables - red onion, carrots and celery.
• Garlic
• Chickpeas - I provide instructions for using both canned and dried chickpeas. Using a quality canned chickpea will shorten the cooking time significantly.
• Stock or water - stock powder is fine if you prefer - add it to taste. If using store purchased stock, use salt reduced so that you have better control over the salt.
• Rosemary - I prefer fresh, but you can also use dried.
• Lemons - you'll need both the zest and juice.
• Fresh dill - used as a garnish. Substitute for dried oregano if you prefer.

How to make Greek Chickpea Soup

1. Prepare all ingredients according to instructions; dice the onion, carrot and celery. Mince the garlic. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and zest and juice the lemons.

   

2. Cook vegetables - heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the onion, carrot and celery (1). Cook and stir regularly for around 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent (2). The vegetables should not be coloured at this stage.

   

3. Cook garlic, rosemary and lemon zest - add the minced garlic, rosemary and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

   

4. Add chickpeas and water/stock - add the chickpeas and water. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

   

5. Season with salt and pepper, or use a stock cube or powder to add the salt.

6. Add lemon - 2 lemons is a guide, but the volume of juice will vary. Add the lemon juice, stirring and tasting as you go, until you're happy with the flavour.

7. Blend - to thicken the soup: use a ladle to remove 3-4 ladles of soup and place in a blender or mini food processor. Process until smooth and add back to the soup. If you want the soup to be thicker, puree more of the soup. Alternatively, you can use a stick blender and puree a little at a time until you get to the desired consistency.

   

8. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the broth and with lemon slices or wedges, along with some picked dill leaves.

Canned vs dried chickpeas

Quality canned chickpeas are a good shortcut to use, rather than cooking the chickpeas yourself. The quality does vary between brands though, so if you find the canned chickpeas you use are overly mushy, try using different brands - there should be a little bite to them.

Using canned chickpeas

Drain the chickpeas and then rinse them. Pick out and discard any discoloured chickpeas.

Using dried chickpeas

Soak the chickpeas for 8-12 hours. Discard the water, rinse the chickpeas and place the chickpeas in a pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on the pot. Cook for about an hour until the chickpeas are mostly tender but still have a little bite, similar to al dente pasta.

Note: It's difficult to be precise with how long it will take to cook the chickpeas - the time will vary based on the age and condition of the chickpeas.

Using more vegetables

I really like to add both spinach and silverbeet to this soup. It's not traditional, but it adds extra goodness and colour.

To the standard recipe, after adding the water, I add a 280g bag of spinach which I chop (you could also use frozen chopped spinach) & half a bunch of chopped silverbeet.

Leftovers

Leftovers will be fine in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan. The soup will freeze well.

Greek Chickpea Soup "Revithia Soupa"

Unrated

Sam Knight

Vegetable soup Greek cuisine

Serves 4-6

Revithia Soupa is a fresh and vibrant Greek chickpea soup, flavoured with herbs and lemon.

• 60ml (4tbsp or 1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely sliced approx 2-3 springs, leaves picked. Sub for 1 tbsp dried
• 3 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 500g dried, see note 1
• 1L water or vegetable stock stock powder is fine, see note 2
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced and optionally slices or wedges, to serve
• Fresh dill leaves, to serve

Steps

Using dried chickpeas

If you want to use dried chickpeas, you'll need to start about 12 hours before you want to start cooking.

Soak the chickpeas for 8-12 hours. Discard the water, rinse the chickpeas and place the chickpeas in a pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on the pot. Cook for about an hour until the chickpeas are mostly tender but still have a little bite, similar to al dente pasta.

Note: It's difficult to be precise with how long it will take to cook the chickpeas - the time will vary based on the age and condition of the chickpeas.

After the chickpeas are cooked, you can continue with the recipe.

Steps

1. Prepare all ingredients according to instructions; dice the onion, carrot and celery. Mince the garlic. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and zest and juice the lemons.
2. Cook vegetables - heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the onion, carrot and celery. Cook and stir regularly for around 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent. The vegetables should not be coloured at this stage.
3. Cook garlic, rosemary and lemon zest - add the minced garlic, rosemary and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
4. Add chickpeas and water/stock - add the chickpeas and water. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Season with salt and pepper, or use a stock cube or powder to add the salt.
6. Add lemon - 2 lemons is a guide, but the volume of juice will vary. Add the lemon juice, stirring and tasting as you go, until you're happy with the flavour.
7. Blend - to thicken the soup: use a ladle to remove 3-4 ladles of soup and place in a blender or mini food processor. Process until smooth and add back to the soup. If you want the soup to be thicker, puree more of the soup. Alternatively, you can use a stick blender and puree a little at a time until you get to the desired consistency.
8. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the broth and with lemon slices or wedges, along with some picked dill leaves.

Notes

1. Chickpeas - if using canned chickpeas, try different brands until you find one that are not mushy. The chickpeas should have a little firmness. Use the best quality you can afford. The post has additional information on canned vs dried and how to prepare them.
2. Stock - use salt reduced so you can have better control over the salinity. Using plain water is fine, and you can use a stock powder or cube to add salt.
3. Soup thickness - if you prefer a thicker soup, puree more of the soup. Blending the chickpeas thickens the soup; conversely, if you prefer a thin soup, puree less of it.
4. Bulk it out - adding a little rice or a pasta like orzo can bulk the soup out and make it a bit more substantial.