Velvety chickpeas soup

Soups are always welcomed during the Winter months and chickpeas soup was always a popular one in Greece. This version today has a bit of a different approach to the classic one but the velvety texture of it makes the difference worth it

Adapted from "Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4-6  people):
500gr. chickpeas
1 yellow onion, cut in quarters
3 cloves of garlic, minced (I used only 1 clove)
2 tsp of ground cumin (I used only 1 tsp)
6 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, the juice and the peel
salt
pepper

For garnishing:
1 ripe but firm tomato, cut in fine cubes
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp of capers, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:
Put the chickpeas in a large glass (or plastic) bowl full of water and let them soak all night.

Next day, drain, rinse well and put the chickpeas in a wide saucepan along with the rest of the ingredients except the salt. Boil in medium-low heat until they are very soft and the soup is quite thick. While boiling don't ever stir with a metal spoon, only wooden!!! The pulses tend to get hard.

Leave the soup to cool down for some time, discard the lemon peel and then (maybe in batches) put in a blender and whizz until the ingredients become a pulp. Don't use too much of the juices from the saucepan. The final mixture needs to be smooth but quite thick.

Return the soup in the saucepan, season with salt and gently warm again.

In a bowl mix the garnishing ingredients together, adding the tomato last and gently stir.

Serve in bowls while the soup is still hot and garnish on top with the chopped vegetables.

Note: In the past, people used to rub the dried pulses (mainly various beans and chickpeas) with some baking soda before cooking. This meant to help the pulses to cook easier but also to digest them easier. A lot of people still do it, but some insist that this method destroys the nutrients of the pulses. If you soak them all night and boil them in medium-low heat there should not be a problem