As old man winter gets into his full stride, we love making more soups and crock pot meals that stick to our ribs and warm us from the inside out. This dish is marked a 5-star in our cookbooks at home and for good reason.
This hearty Persian Legun Soup is chock-full of flavor and will have you coming back for more.
This is out of the “Plenty More” cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi. It’s a great one to add to your collection as it features lots of Mediterranean meals that or veggie based and great for promoting good health.
This recipe will make a pretty big pot of soup, so feel free to cut it in half if you want to test it out. It’s fantastic fresh off the stove or served for lunches the next day!
Enjoy!
2 cans of chickpeas
2 cans of lima beans
4 1/2 tbsp clarified butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced (400g)
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1½ tsp ground turmeric
1 cup yellow split peas
8 cups vegetable stock
1 cup parsley, chopped
Coriander, chopped
1 cup dill, chopped
1 cup trimmed spring onions, thinly sliced
4 cup baby spinach
2 cups linguine
150g soured cream, plus 1 teaspoon per portion to finish
1½ tbsp white wine vinegar
4 limes, halved
salt and black pepper
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and butterbeans, bring two pans of water to the boil and cook them separately: this should take anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Put the butter, onion and garlic in a large pan and place on a medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown. Stir in the turmeric, ½ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper and remove a third of this mix from the pan to use later.
Add the chickpeas and butterbeans to the pan, then add the split peas and stock. Simmer for about 35 minutes, skimming the froth occasionally, or until the peas are tender.
Add the herbs, spring onion and spinach, stir well and cook for another 15 minutes; add more stock or water if the soup is very thick. Add the noodles and cook for about 10 minutes so that they are just done. Stir in the soured cream and vinegar and serve at once, garnished with a teaspoon of soured cream per portion and the reserved cooked onion. Serve lime halves to squeeze over every portion.
