Lebanese Gaspacho
June 12, 2011 • Category: Soups
A recipe imagined by chef Ornella Hubel that I immediately wanted to try; so cool when chefs create recipes based on our Lebanese culinary heritage. Here, she used chick peas as a base for the soup. The chick peas are pureed and served gaspacho-style with pita croutons, diced tomatoes and a sprinkling of zaatar. A hearty soup and an easy soup to make.
Recipe is adapted
INGREDIENTS: 2 servings
- 1 can of chick peas
- 3 scallions or one medium white onion or 3 shallots
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal flakes (the recipe calls for 100 g of fresh breadcrumbs)
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves mashed in a mortar with one teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- water, as needed
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (or of chili flakes)
- 1 pita bread or other flatbread
- zaatar, a few pinches
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tomato, diced
METHOD:
- Mince the scallions and fry  most of them (reserving a few for garnish) in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Rinse the chick peas and add to the scallions with one cup of water. Add the cumin and coriander and a bit of cayenne and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes or longer.
- Cut small squares in the pita bread with kitchen scissors and place in a pan; drizzle some olive oil and bake in a 275F oven till the croutons are toasted and golden; the last 30 seconds, sprinkle the zaatar and toss the croutons.
- Add the oatmeal flakes to the chick pea mixture and continue simmering it for 15 minutes longer; add the garlic paste and whirl in the blender until the soup is smooth but still a bit coarse. Add the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve the soup with diced tomatoes, extra minced scallions and the zaatar-flavored croutons.
NOTE: I prefer the soup served at room temperature rather than cold. Your call.
Comments
32 Comments • Comments Feed
Chiara says:
Lovely recipe Joumana, easy to make! I wish you have a good week, a hug…
On June 12, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Miriam says:
Mmmmm, great gazpacho recreation! 😉
On June 13, 2011 at 1:18 am
Rosa says:
A wonderful gazpacho! I love the addition of cumin and za’atar.
Cheers,
Rosa
On June 13, 2011 at 2:59 am
Nuts about food says:
What a fabulous idea!
On June 13, 2011 at 5:32 am
Steve @ HPD says:
Gaspacho is one of my favorite words! I thought it meant “cowboy soup” when I was a kid. Cheers!
On June 13, 2011 at 6:20 am
meriem says:
ç’a m’a l’air vraiment délicieux et tu l’as si bien présenté que ça donne envie de s’y mettre tout de suite!! Merci pour cette belle recette et à bientôt.
On June 13, 2011 at 6:46 am
CuisineStyle says:
Trop bon.
Carmen.
On June 13, 2011 at 7:20 am
Mark Scarbrough says:
Have you ever tried this with grapes in the mix? There was a Lebanese family who farmed down the road from my grandparents–and they made what they called “gazpacho,” similar to this for sure, but with grapes in the mix. The grandmother would also cut grapes in half and fry them lightly cut side down in a little olive oil, no more than 1 minute as I recall, and sprinkle those on top of the soup.
On June 13, 2011 at 7:28 am
Joumana says:
@Mark: Interesting twist. Never seen nor tried it.
On June 13, 2011 at 10:06 am
TheKitchenWitch says:
I like gazpacho at room temperature, too. Something about cold soup just seems wrong.
On June 13, 2011 at 8:27 am
Susan says:
It sounds delicious and packed with protein. This could be a meal for me!
On June 13, 2011 at 9:23 am
Erica says:
I love this variation… Delicious flavors! I can’t wait to try it!
On June 13, 2011 at 9:54 am
Diane says:
I use chickpeas a lot, this sounds like a great variation on my usual dishes. Diane
On June 13, 2011 at 10:42 am
Barbara says:
That looks marvelous. I think this might be more flavorful room temperature than cold, although I do love cold soups and eat them all the time. There are too many flavors in this one and I’d be afraid to lose some of them if too cold. Love the croutons!
On June 13, 2011 at 10:46 am
Priya says:
Cant wait to try this gaspacho,delicious and inviting..
On June 13, 2011 at 11:56 am
Suman Singh says:
Ooh this looks so delicious and refreshing- perfect for summer.
On June 13, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Joan Nova says:
Very interesting. I bet it’s delicious.
On June 13, 2011 at 5:07 pm
heguiberto says:
Great idea Joumana. You are making cold/room temp soups and I am preparing warm ones here on this side of the planet. Well it’s a bit cold here but at least the Sun is out now.
cheers!
Heguiberto
On June 13, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Faith says:
Love your twist on gazpacho, Joumana! Sounds even more delicious and flavorful than the original version.
On June 13, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Shelley Lucas says:
I’m always up for gazpacho and this iteration looks terrific! Such a delicious summertime treat. I love that it both nourishes and cools you down. Thanks for sharing!
On June 13, 2011 at 7:17 pm
TastyTrix says:
Joumana, I am inspired by this soup! In fact, I am going to try to make a version for the soup of the day at the Middle Eastern cafe where I work (of course I will give credit where credit it due for the recipe!!) Question: when you say one can of chick peas, what size do you mean? So I can scale everything up … Thanks! : )
On June 13, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Joumana says:
@Tastytrix: It is the standard size can i believe it is 9 ounces.
On June 15, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Angie's Recipes says:
The soup looks terrific! Great presentation too.
On June 13, 2011 at 10:16 pm
T.W. Barritt says:
This is great! It uses the techniques of gaspacho, but with a whole different set of flavors and spices. And, I love anything recipe where I can keep the ingredients on hand in the pantry.
On June 14, 2011 at 3:08 am
Joanne says:
I’m normally pretty bored by gazpacho…but throw in some chickpeas and I am quite enamored!
On June 14, 2011 at 4:58 am
MaryAthenes says:
Tres tres interessant !
A essayer absolument !
Bises
On June 14, 2011 at 5:13 am
Mark Wisecarver says:
So awesome. Reminded me of the overnight mujaddara Sito used to make, we couldn’t wait to lift the towels off the next day and gobble it up.
On June 14, 2011 at 6:02 am
Karen says:
What a wonderful summer soup! This would be wonderful as part of a BBQ. Thanks for sharing this deliciou recipe!
On June 14, 2011 at 7:33 am
Anna says:
This looks very tasty. Can’t wait to try it!
On June 14, 2011 at 10:24 am
Lori Lynn says:
Hi Joumana – love this twist on regular gazpacho, you’ve really kicked it up a notch or two. The photo is lovely as well.
LL
On June 15, 2011 at 7:32 am
Peter says:
Yet another wonderful take on Gazpacho…version Lebanese! Nice healthy touch with the oats.
On June 16, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Charissa says:
I’m thinking I’m gonna need to make this…yes, maam. I have a can of chickpeas just waiting for me in the pantry. I’d be curious to see how much protein this has?
On June 18, 2011 at 2:21 pm