Rachel Roddy’s recipe for Chickpea, Kale and Potato Soup with Cumin Pesto | Soup

Frustrated by our inability to do not just urgent things in our small apartment, but anything, I recently forced the issue and took everything out of an extremely large cabinet. Weeks later, the empty cabinet is still waiting to be removed, while the rest of the apartment is upside down, there’s no hook with nine items hanging on it and no clear surface. Except one. One of the three shelves in the cupboard above the washing machine – the one I look at most, with the tea, the custard and the pots full of things not only tidy, but clean, for me to see what is cocoa and what is cumin.

In De re coquinaria, or Apicius, an important source in ancient Roman recipes, cumin is medicinal and a pantry staple. Its warm and volatile nature adds spice and stimulates all kinds of appetites. The dried seed of the grass cumin cumin – which is part of the umbelliferae family with parsley and celery – cumin is ancient and has its origins in Iran. It is also valuable and useful, which is why it has traveled so widely. Three types are described in Apicius: Ethiopian, Syrian and Libyan cumin, all of which are used in various recipes, and also made into a cumin-based sauce called cumin.

On the meticulous blog Historical Italian Cooking, a 14th-century writer known simply as Anonimo Toscano describes Apicius cuminatum. as being made of a good quantity of cumin, parsley and mint, pepper, lovage, honey and a fish sauce called garum, all pounded and diluted with vinegar, to be served with oysters . According to Harold McGee in his book Nosedive, the dominant molecule in cumin is a volatile and unusual molecule called terpinene, whose odors are animalic, sweaty, oily and woody. That’s why it’s such a fabulous spice.

When I think of cumin, I travel thinking of Egyptian, Indian, North African, Szechuan and Turkish cuisine. So I found it interesting to see it in the context of cuminatum. Starting from the idea rather than the recipe, my adaptation is careful. It includes nuts and olive oil, making it closer to a cumin pesto and a lively addition to this week’s recipe, which is an otherwise mild chickpea, kale soup and potatoes.

Chickpea, kale and potato soup with cumin pesto and pasta or croutons

The addition of croutons and/or pasta is optional here.

Preparation 15 mins
Cook 30 min (1 hour+ if you cook the chickpeas from scratch)
Serves 4

250 g chickpeassoaked in water for at least 12 hours, or 2 cans of 400 g drained chickpeas
5 tablespoons of olive oilplus extra for pesto and croutons, if making
1 large onionpeeled and cut into small cubes
1 celery stickdiced
1 large potatopeeled and diced
300g kalestripped of central stem and roughly chopped
Salt
Bread cubesfor the croutons (optional)
200 g small pastacooked (optional)

For the pesto
1 full teaspoon of cumin
1 a large handful of fresh parsley and/or mint
1 heaped tablespoon of pine nuts or almonds
1 teaspoon Honey
A little white wine or sherry vinegar

If you cook your own chickpeas, soak them in cold water for 12 to 24 hours, then drain and return them to the pan. Cover with enough water to reach a few centimeters above their surface, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour or until tender. (This can also be done in a pressure cooker.) If using canned chickpeas, simply drain them.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion and celery and fry gently until soft and translucent. Add the potato and kale, stir for a few minutes, then add the chickpeas, a liter and a half of their cooking. liquid and a pinch of salt; if using canned chickpeas, use water or light stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the potato is tender and the kale is very tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the pesto: toast the cumin seeds in a small pan until they smell good, then pound or mix them with the parsley and/or mint, pine nuts and enough olives to make a paste; add a little honey and/or vinegar, if desired.

If you’re making croutons, toss the bread cubes in olive oil and salt, then fry or bake them until golden brown. Taste the soup, adding salt if necessary and the pasta, if adding any, then ladle into warm bowls and top each serving with a spoonful of pesto and maybe a few croutons.