Chickpea Soup with Prawns and rosemary

Happy New Year!
When January begins the first thing that springs to mind is soups, diets and detoxing.. well let's take it slowly.
For as much as I love soups after eating so much rich and indulging foods, it is hard to brutally go on diets! On new year's eve I had many courses and I finished off at 2 in the morning with cotechino and lentils which is an Italian tradition to bring good luck.
So now.. I have made a tasty chickpeas soup with the luxury of king prawns! Matching chickpeas and shellfish is quite traditional in Italy and this soup is very well known. The addition of rosemary gives the soup a fabulous aroma (as we know chickpeas can be quite bland). You can enjoy this soup without fish if you prefer, it will be excellent anyway!
- Prep Time : 25 minutes
- Cook Time : 30 minutes
Ingredients
- drained cooked chickpeas - 500 g - 1 1/8 pounds (or canned ones drained)
- tomato sauce (passata) - 4 tbsp
- garlic - 1 clove
- rosemary sticks
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- stock cube - 1
- king prawns - 8
- water - 1,5 Liter - 6,3 cups
Instructions
Cook the chickpeas for 1 hour or if using canned ones drain them in a colander.
Make the broth by dissolving the stock cube into 1,5 Litres or 6,3 cups of boiling water.
Add the broth and whiz the chickpeas to a creamy consistency
In a sauce pan stir fry for a minute the garlic clove with one stick of rosemary and 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Add the cream of chickpeas, 4 tbsp of tomato sauce, 3 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes over a gentle heat with the lid on.
Heat a pan with 3 tbsp of olive oil. Put the king prawns in the pan and cook them for 2-3 minutes until golden with a few rosemary leaves. Before cooking them you can remove the tails if you prefer and the black filament under the belly too. I preferred to leave mines whole as they look prettier on the plate.
Serve the soup with the prawns and drops of passata. Decorate with a stick of rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil.
Dear Alida,
That is such a beautiful bowl of soup with prawns! You hate to eat it, but I think I will have some, please! A perfect recipe for this time of year. I love soups and it is very cold here. So a bowl of this would be great to keep you warm, plus it is good for you as well. I love the way the chickpeas are made into a creamy soup, with that Rosemary, which must have left your kitchen with a wonderful aroma. I like the bits of tomato sauce mixed in. I find it hard to locate King prawns, but I think I can make this with regular large shrimp. Thanks for sharing…enjoy and have a weekend to remember!
Dottie ๐
Love this soup! Look amazing!!!
How did you know that I love chickpea soup?? This looks so creamy, soothing and delicious, Alida. Those giant prawns are great too.
Have a great weekend!
Angie
Thank you Angie!
Having tweeted this last night, I have just drooled over it again! Delicious Alida….
Happy New Year Alida!
We are celebrating National Soup Month here in the states! Your soup would be perfect for such a chilly, snowy day like today! It’s funny, I never think to blend chick peas in soups when I use them. I do when I make hummus but never, soup. Now, if I can only remember:)
Thank you so much for sharing, Alida…
Adoro le zuppe di legumi, specialmente in questo periodo invernale sono buonissime! Ottima la tua zuppa di ceci con gamberi, รจ molto invitante! Baci!