Featured Recipe
Chickpea Rocket Cold Soup
By Kate
"
Cold soup made with chickpeas and peppery rocket leaves blended with spiced pita bread and dill. Uses a chilled vegetable broth base, toasted pita crisps drizzled with honey-olive oil mix, sesame seeds, and a zesty sumac topping. Garlic and lemon juice add brightness. Substitutes pita with lavash or naan for toast. Dill can be swapped for fresh cilantro for a twist. Serve very cold. Notes on achieving crisp pita garnishes, proper puree thickness, and balancing acidity for a clean, fresh flavor.
"
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
12 min
Total:
32 min
Serves:
4 servings
soup
vegan
Mediterranean
healthy
quick meal
Introduction
Cold soups require balance and restraint. Texture matters. Smooth purees can be boring unless punched up with crispy crusty bits. Chickpeas bring body and earthiness, blending into silky liquid with broth and oil but can end up pasty if bread too dense or too much oil. Here, tear flatbreads add bulk then blend until smooth but with just a hint of texture left. Rocket punches bitterness and a green brightness, pairing naturally with the lemon and honey sweetness. A tight line on the tartness keeps the soup lively, not flat or dull. Toasted pita bites, lavished with honey and fragrant seeds, introduce crunch, aroma, and warmth. Sprinkle sumac for that lemony pop and color. Chill well — coldness amplifies flavors differently than hot. Taste often. Adjust acidity last. Dont skip toast step; flatbread texture dictates success. Store garnish separately if prepping ahead to avoid soggy disappointment. This is a soup that relies on visual and tactile cues at every step—the gold of toast, the snap when breaking crisps, the coolness on lips — all critical.
Ingredients
Pita garnish
- 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) honey
- 20 ml (1 1/3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 toasted flatbread 16 cm (6 1/4 in) diameter, split
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) toasted sesame seeds
- 3 ml (3/4 tsp) ground sumac, plus more for serving
- 2 flatbreads 16 cm (6 1/4 in) diameter
- 950 ml (4 cups) chilled vegetable or chicken broth
- 50 ml (3 1/3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) honey
- 1 can (400 g/14 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 30 g (1 1/4 cups loosely packed) rocket leaves
- 15 g (3 tbsp) chopped fresh cilantro
- 50 ml (3 1/3 tbsp) lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, halved
Soup
About the ingredients
Measuring liquid fats precisely is crucial as too much olive oil overwhelms chickpea’s color and dulls flavors, while too little dries mix. Honey adjusts sweetness to counter lemon’s sharp acid, tune cautiously based on citrus or vinegar interchange. Freshness of rocket affects bitterness level; young tender leaves preferred. Pita breads vary; dense pitas cause thick soup, adjust broth quantity accordingly and puree longer. Selction of broth influences depth; vegetable broth for vegan version, chicken broth for subtle meaty note. If unavailable, reduce salt addition elsewhere. Garlic raw in soup can be sharp—adjust by infusing in broth first or omit if sensitive. Seeds toast quickly, prevent burning by stirring often. Sumac quality varies; buy fresh - stale powder tastes dusty. Store crisp garnishes loosely wrapped at room temperature to maintain crunch. Allergy tip: replace sesame with pumpkin seeds for crunch; reduce honey to balance bitterness. Use lemon zest for added aroma if desired.
Method
Soup
- 1. Tear two flatbreads into bite-sized pieces by hand. Doesn’t need to be uniform. Rough edges add texture.
- 2. In a blender, combine chilled broth, olive oil, honey, chickpeas, rocket, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic halves, and torn flatbread. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until fully smooth. A few small bread crumbs can remain but no large lumps.
- 3. Transfer to a container, chill in fridge at least 1 hour (can extend to 3). Soup thickens as it cools; if too thick, add a bit more cold broth to loosen. Taste and adjust acidity or salt.
- 4. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- 5. Warm honey slightly until fluid but not hot. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified.
- 6. Separate flatbread into halves. Using a pastry brush, cover the tops with honey-olive oil mixture. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and ground sumac. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- 7. Bake for about 12 minutes. Look for golden edges and crisp snaps when cooled, sound of crackers breaking smell toasted and nutty. Cool on a wire rack.
- 8. When cool enough, break into bite-sized pieces. Use as a crunchy topping.
- 9. Stir soup gently, taste; add drizzle or pinch of sumac if desired. Divide among chilled bowls.
- 10. Scatter crunchy pita pieces on top. Drizzle with little olive oil, scatter fresh cilantro leaves for color intrigue.
- 11. Serve immediately, or keep chilled but crisp pita separate to prevent sogginess.
- For garlic sensitivity, scald garlic halves in broth before blending to mellow sharpness. Use lavash or naan bread instead of pita; adjust olive oil in garnish accordingly.
- Cilantro substitute: fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley. Lemon juice can be replaced with white wine vinegar but adjust sweetness.
- If soup tastes flat after chilling, a splash more acid brightens instantly.
- If mix too thick, thinning with broth maintains texture — don’t add water.
- Always toast sesame seeds quickly in dry pan for more fragrance before garnish step.
Pita garnish
To serve
Tips and swaps
Technique Tips
Blending timing key. Long blend risks warming soup or breaking down bread too much. Stop when texture smooth but not pasty. Chill soup minimum 1 hour to allow flavors to meld and thicken. Soup should coat back of spoon but still flow fluidly; loosen with broth if too stiff. Honey should be just warmed till fluid for better incorporation in oil; avoid overheating to preserve floral notes. Baking flatbread garnish at 175 °C strikes optimal balance: slow crisping without burnt bitter edges. Crackle on cooling signals doneness. Brush olive oil-honey evenly to avoid clumps that burn. Toast seeds separately if possible to avoid uneven bake. Season soup lightly at start; adjust salt and pepper after chilling, as flavors intensify or dull. Serve soup in chilled bowls for temperature control. Drizzle olive oil over finish for luxury mouthfeel and sheen. Fresh herbs scattered last minute add visual lift and aroma punch. Store soup and garnish separately in fridge if not serving immediately to keep textures intact.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Tear flatbreads by hand for varying sizes. Uniform pieces can ruin texture. Crusty edges add extra bite and character. No need to stress on cutting.
- 💡 Chill soup for at least an hour. Flavors meld together when cold. If too thick after chilling, add small amounts of cold broth. See it flow fluidly. Otherwise, it’ll coat too heavily.
- 💡 Adjust seasoning after chilling. Soup intensity changes with cold. Splash of lemon juice or sprinkle of salt can brighten flavor again. Twist it to suit your taste.
- 💡 Watch pita in the oven. Look for golden edges. They'll snap when cool. Smell toasted, nutty aroma - key indicator. Crispiness matters for the crunchy bite.
- 💡 Honey mixes better when slightly warmed. Don’t overheat. Preserve floral notes. Brush mixture evenly on pita. Avoid clumps that lead to burnt patches.
