RECIPE MAGIC!

It's a great time to introduce you to Tunisia's national "fast food" called Lablabi (leb-LEB-ee), a chickpea soup, somewhat like a stew. This incredibly fragrant dish is traditionally made with simple pantry ingredients, including crusty bread. Be sure to swirl in a bit of Harissa olive oil for extra heat. We used canned well-drained chickpeas but you can use dry (1-1/4 cups), soaking them overnight. For a quintessential Tunisian finish, top with a soft poached egg. We've got you covered there, too with our new Perfectly Poached Egg recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Garlic olive oil
1 tbsp Harissa olive oil (optional, to taste)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
4 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp tomato paste
8 cups chicken stock
1 tsp Sherry Reserva Red WIne Vinegar
1/2 loaf country-style bread (sourdough, ciabatta or flatbreads), more for serving
Option: For garnish, fry extra chickpeas (pat dry) in 1tsp Harissa and 1 tbsp EVOO until crisp 

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the EVOO and Garlic oils in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until softened. Add cumin and coriander, stir and cook for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and Harissa olive oil, if using. Then add stock, chickpeas and red wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. While cooking tear crusty bread into a little larger than bite-size pieces and arrange them on a large sheet. Drizzle the bread with extra virgin olive oil, toss to coat and arrange them so the pieces are crust side down. Broil briefly, maybe a minute or so just until the bread turns golden brown. To serve, place bread in bottom of a shallow-style soup bowl. Ladle chickpea soup on bread. Drizzle with EVOO. Serve with additional crusty bread.  Optional: Place poached egg on top of chickpeas.