Moroccan Spicy Chickpea Soup

Dave Lieberman scores again with this delicious Morrocan style soup. This second installment in Dave's Dinners was the perfect meal for a cool and cloudy day in Central Texas. I left out the spinach, since I'm still not so sure about the safety of it in our country, plus I hate cooked spinach. Popeye be damned.

Dave's Dinners (aff) contiues to be a knock 'em dead cookbook. The recipes are perfect, easy to read, and always work out like he says. There are a number of recipes in this book that have asian and middle easteren influences, hence the Chicken Tikka Masala from last week.

- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 Tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 Tsp. ground cayenne pepper
- 1 Tsp. paprika
- 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
- 1 quart reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 Tsp. sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
- 3 cans chickpeas, drained
- 2 TBSP butter
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1 Package prewashed baby spinach

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion begins to turn transluscent. Add the spices and saute a minute or so. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sugar, stock, a pinch of salt, and 10 grinds black pepper. Stir well. The chickpeas should just be covered with liquid. Bring to a medium simmer, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Stir in the butter until melted. Then remove the pot from the heat. Using a potato masher, mash up half the mixture in the pot, then stir again. Stir in the spinach until just wilted, then taste and season.