Jam Down Foodie

Preparation
01For the chickpeas, preheat the oven to 350 F.
02Open and remove chickpeas from the can. Place beans in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain and set aside.
03Add chickpeas to a shallow baking tray. Sprinkle beans with paprika, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on beans and use your hands to help coat the beans in the seasoning mix.
04Place the tray in the oven for 25-30 mins or until the beans are dry and crunchy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
05For the soup, preheat the oven to 400 F.
06On a separate baking tray add chopped carrots, squash, celery, half the thyme and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the oven. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes.
07Fill a good stock pot with chicken stock and add roasted carrots, squash, celery and garlic and set to boil on high heat.
08Once the veggies come up to a boil, add scallions, shallot, thyme, bay leaf and pimento berries. Cook aromatics and veggies on high heat for about 5-6 minutes.
09Add seasoning from the noodle packet. Cook soup for another 5-7 minutes. Be sure to sift out and discard noodles.
10Remove the bay leaf, scotch bonnet pepper and pimento berries and transfer veggies and hot liquid to a blender or food processor. If you have a hand blender, you can blend the soup right in the pot. Be careful to not fill the blender to the top as the hot liquid will expand and can overflow causing severe burns.
11Puree the veggies and extra liquid until smooth. You may do this in batches to avoid overfilling the blender. Pour the soup back into the soup pot and return to low heat.
12Add cream and let the soup simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat. Taste the soup for salt and pepper and add as needed. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a kick.
13Serve hot and finish with a drizzle of flavored oil and cream on top of each bowl. Top bowl with roasted chickpeas or garnish of choice.