Jamie's Chick Pea Soup from Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook

Even though I have a ton of cookbooks, I am always wanting more. My awesome sister knows this and got me the Top Chef Quick Fire cookbook for Christmas. It is a great book if you like the show, and also has super recipes if you could care less about the show.

We are enjoying the last of the cool temperatures here in AZ, heck it was downright COLD here yesterday. I am going to make a lot of soup and chili in the next few days while it is cool.




This recipe is so simple and it will warm you up with its richness and spice. I cut this recipe in half because there is no way Tom was eating this one!


You will need one jalapeno or serrano chile, one fresno chile, cream, yogurt, garlic, chicken or veggie stock, lemon, garbanzo beans, madras curry, sugar, onion, mint and NOT Cilantro...ok if you like it fine, but I used parsley.


Slice up the jalapeno or serrano, I actually used an anaheim because that is what was in my drawer.


Add in the lemon zest, juice and sugar. Let this hang out for about a half an hour.


While the peppers are getting awesome, chop up the onion garlic and the fresno chile.


Combine the yogurt, cilantro/parsley, mint, zest and lemon juice.

Now that we have all the prep done, lets start cooking!


Heat the olive oil over low heat and add in the garlic. Stir this around for about 15 seconds.


Add in the onions and let those cook until they are softened. Season with some salt and bring the heat up to about medium.


Stir in the curry and keep on stirring until the whole place starts to smell totally awesome, about 2 minutes.


Add in your fruity and delicious fresno and let that cook for another minute.


Add in the beans and the broth and let this bubble away for about 20 minutes.


If you have an immersion blender give the soup a whirl, otherwise transfer in batches to a blender or food processor to puree until smooth. You can see part of my husband's hot sauce collection on the counter. He is addicted to the stuff I swear!


When you are done pureeing, get it all back in the pan over low heat and thin with the cream. I only used about a tablespoon of cream.


Top with a bit of the yogurt mix and your pickled peppers.

This was so good, and so simple. The flavors were rich and complex and my house smelled like fabulous curry until well into the next day. I love soups that just make you feel all warm and cozy.

What is your favorite soup?