Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Soup

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add the onion, stir together and cook until the onion is softened, 5 mins. Once soft, add the tomato puree, chermoula spice and half the garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add in the chopped tomatoes, drained chickpeas, the boiling water (see ingredient list for amount) and the vegetable stock powder.

Stir in the red split lentils and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid or some foil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture until the lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened up, about 20 mins. Check every couple of minutes and stir well to ensure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan and add a splash of water if it gets a little dry.

While the mixture simmers, roughly chop the flat leaf parsley (stalks and all). Put half of the chopped parsley in a bowl and add the remaining garlic.  Stir in the olive oil (see ingredient list for amount) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Halve the ciabatta as if you were making a sandwich. Lay the ciabatta halves on a baking tray and spoon the garlickly herby oil over the top. Spread it out with the back of a spoon.

5 mins before the soup is cooked, pop the bread in the oven to cook until golden, 5-7 mins (keep an eye on it, you don't want it to burn). Once the soup is cooked, add the spinach in handfuls and stir through to wilt. Add a splash of water if it's a bit thick for your liking then taste and add salt and pepper if you feel it needs it. Remove from the heat.