Soupruary 10th: Chickpea and Leek

Oh, boy, has it been a week, and we're only at the halfway point. Ended up staying late at work and changing the soup plan (switching today's for tomorrow's) because I was tired and stressed and cranky. Thankfully, being in my tiny kitchen always makes me feel better, no matter the day I've had.

The other thing that always makes me feel better? Jamie Oliver. He never disappoints. And with this soup it was as though he knew precisely how I think food should taste.


It was so good. It was so, so good. I know you're reading that it's chickpea and leek and thinking Uhhhh...chickpea and leek? That is either weird, or boring. Also if you switch the vowels around it's "pee" and "leak" and that's just disgusting. (Wow, sorry about that. My mind is shot (see: stress, work).)

Back on track: THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS. It was so delicious that I had this war going on between my mouth and my brain.

Brain: Eat it supersuperfast because it's so good and you don't want any soup thieves to take it away from you!
Mouth: No, you don't understand! It's so good that I literally cannot chew quickly because I want to taste that forever and always!
Brain: But the thieves!
Mouth: Yeah, I KNOW. But srsly, if they stole that they'd probably see the light, repent, and turn from their sordid lives of soup-stealing!

It went on like that for a while.


This is my favorite soup of the year so far, and Josh liked it too. I usually don't change Jamie's recipes at all, but that whole being late coming home from work thing meant that I majorly did not want to go to the store, and thus necessitated I sub extra sharp aged white Cheddar (which I had) for his recommended Parmesan (which I didn't). The Cheddar had a nice bite and saltiness, plus a bit of nuttiness, although admittedly not as much as the Parm would've. Still--if you haven't noticed--this soup was awesome. I served it with a little rainbow slaw, but I would've eaten it all on its own. I realize I haven't described the taste at all, and I just keep saying how awesome it is, but that's just because I was way too happy to be eating it to worry about describing it.


Also: Dangerously quick, cheap, and easy. The most strenuous part was washing the leek rings, and all that takes is water and a colander.

One more thing: Thanks to Josh for taking iPhone pictures since I left my camera at Kendall's last night!

Adapted from Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 dash of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 leeks, white and light green parts sliced into rings and thoroughly rinsed
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth, separated
1/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar (or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan--Jamie's way)

Heat olive oil and butter in pot over medium heat until butter is melted, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add leeks and cook until soft and even more beautiful, about 10 minutes.

Add chickpeas and 2 cups vegetable broth. Using an immersion blender, puree about half the soup, leaving it chunky but thick (or remove about half and puree it in a regular blender).

Add remaining broth and bring to a boil. Add cheese, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I only needed to add pepper, no salt), and serve with additional grated cheese if desired (I did not desire).