This lovely soup has been made twice in two weeks, as I enjoyed it so much. The carrot and chickpeas blend in well, providing a lovely thick soup to have with some crusty bread.

It’s relatively easy to make by just adding all your ingredients and blending or mashing afterwards!

There’s a couple of ingredients that could be difficult to find in your area, so some tips to find them or use an alternative would be:

• Porcini stock tabules - Found in Italian or Mediterrannean wholesalers or delis. As an alternative, grab some dried porcini and soak with some vegetable stock. Drain and add to your soup.
• Mushroom seasoning - This is a chinese ingredient sometimes used as an alternative to MSG and can be found in most Asian stores. If you have difficulties finding it, crush some celery seeds, ginger, dried mushrooms and salt together and mix into the soup. It should have a sharp pungent smell, almost tear watering!

Serves:

• Five cups

Ingredients:

• 1.5 tsp sage powder
• 1.5 tsp onion powder
• 2 cans chickpeas with the water used
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbs mushroom seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tab of porcini stock
• pinch salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp coriander powder

Instructions:

1. Place all the ingredients in your pot as you have them ready.
2. Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Blend using a vitamiser for a smooth consistency or mash for a chunky soup.
4. Simmer and stir for another 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
5. Serve with some crusty bread.