Chickpea Soup with Smoked Bacon and Nuts

Prepare all necessary ingredients. Any part of a chicken or other meat is suitable for the broth. You can use ready-made canned chickpeas in their own juice, which significantly reduces cooking time. Adjust spices and herbs to your taste. If desired, you can add black or allspice peppercorns to the broth.

Rinse the chickpeas and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 5-6 hours.

Rinse the soaked chickpeas, place them in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Cook for 35-45 minutes until the chickpeas are soft but not overcooked.

Simultaneously, start cooking the broth. To do this, thoroughly rinse the chicken drumstick and place it in a pot. Peel the onion and carrots. Cut the carrot into 2 parts (approximately 80g and 100g). Add the smaller part of the carrot and one onion to the pot. Also add a bay leaf and peppercorns (if using).

Cover the chicken and vegetables with water (1.5 L), add a little salt. Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Skim off the foam and cook the broth for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken meat is done. Cooking time depends on the size of the drumstick. I cooked for 40 minutes.

Once the drumstick is cooked, remove and cool it. Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Some liquid evaporated during cooking, resulting in 1.2 L of broth. Drain the boiled chickpeas in a colander and transfer them to the pot with the broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Cut the bacon into small pieces. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the bacon.

Fry the bacon over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, until golden brown.

Transfer the fried bacon to a separate plate. Dice the remaining onion. Grate the remaining carrot on a coarse grater. Add the carrots and onion to the pan where the bacon was fried. Stir. Sauté for 4-5 minutes over low heat, stirring.

Peel and dice the bell pepper. Add the pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes over low heat, stirring.

Chop the walnuts with a knife. Add to the vegetables. Stir. Sauté for approximately 1 minute.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot, stir. Bring to a boil.

Also add the fried bacon to the pot. Stir.

Separate the chicken meat from the bone and add it to the soup.

Add cumin, cardamom, and black ground pepper. Stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Finely chop the herbs and add them to the soup. Stir and turn off the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Chickpea soup with smoked bacon and nuts is ready.

Enjoy your meal!