Lamb and Chickpea Soup Recipe

A Hearty, Satisfying Soup, especially in the Fall and Winter

Nov 3, 2007 Debbie Kwiatoski

This soup takes some time to make - mainly because of its stock - but it' s worth the effort and has an amazing, rich flavor. Very nice with a salad and some crusty bread

This is a wonderful, rich soup. Perfect for a weekend supper or a soup party for a crowd. While making it is pretty easy – it is somewhat time consuming, primarily because you need to make the lamb stock and that takes a couple of hours to do correctly.

Ingredients:

For Stockpot:

  • Two lamb shanks – or the bone and meat scraps leftover after a lamb roast.
  • 4 Cups of chicken broth
  • Juice from 1 28-ounce can of stewed tomatoes (the tomatoes get added later with the vegetables)
  • ¼ cup of dry white wine (optional)
  • 1 medium onion – whole, with skin still on it
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic – whole, skin and all
  • 3-4 medium carrots, cut into large pieces
  • 3-4 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
  • 1 Tablespoon of Chaimen
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)

For Soup:

  • The lamb stock you will make above
  • Pieces of lamb from the stewed shanks
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 –3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2-3 carrots, chopped
  • 4-5 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
  • The stewed tomatoes left after you’ve put the juice into the stockpot
  • About 1 cup of string beans, cut into about ½ inch pieces
  • 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of Chaimen
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • About ½ lemon, squeezed for juice (to taste)

Method:

  1. Place the raw lamb shanks in a shallow pan and bake at 350 – 400 degree F until the meat has cooked and “caramelized” (If you are using the bones and leftover meat from a lamb roast, skip this step).
  2. Remove from oven and put into stockpot (leave any rendered fat in the baking dish and discard – it tastes great in the stock, but it adds calories to the soup).
  3. Add the chicken stock, tomato juice, wine, and the flavoring vegetables from the stockpot ingredient list.
  4. Cover and cook for about 2 hours – or until the meat is falling off the bones, the vegetables are mushy enough to mash, and the broth is well integrated. As the liquid boils down, add more water or chicken broth.
  5. Remove from the heat and remove the shank bones any meat in the pot.
  6. With a potato masher or wide spoon, mash down the stock vegetables in the broth.
  7. Pour the stockpot into a wide colander, catching the broth in a fresh pot and straining out the mashed bits of vegetables. Drain to get every possible drop of liquid out of the mash.
  8. Let the stock cool, until a layer of lamb fat forms on top if the stock. Skim most of this off for a healthier soup, leaving just a bit, for extra flavor.
  9. Into the pot, add the chopped vegetables, the chopped canned tomatoes and the drained can of chickpeas and set to a medium boil, covered.
  10. While the vegetables are cooking, remove all the usable meat from the bones, chopping them into bite-sized pieces.
  11. Add these to the pot, along with the Chaimen, the salt and pepper and the lemon juice.
  12. Turn down the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy and serve.

Serves anywhere from 8 – 16, depending upon whether it’s served as a meal or as a first course.

The copyright of the article Lamb and Chickpea Soup Recipe in Middle Eastern Cuisine is owned by Debbie Kwiatoski. Permission to republish Lamb and Chickpea Soup Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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