First Fall Soup: chickpea, leek and potato

This is a delicious, hearty soup, and endlessly adaptable. I used what I had on hand, but you can use all sorts of different vegetables, and even replace the spelt with barley if you like. It's really all about the pressure cooker and building up a base of flavor with onions, leeks, garlic and chickpeas. Don't get freaked out by the long ingredient list, it's pretty easy and doesn't require much chopping, plus you cook it all in one pot. Perfect for when it starts getting cold, and it improves overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 large leek, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup spelt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried dill
2 bay leaves
10 fingerling potatoes, in small equal pieces
4-5 stalks bok choy, leaves separated from stems and chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
Chopped parsley
Grated asiago or parmesan

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pressure cooker. Add onion, leek and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant.

Add all spices and chickpeas. Stir for 1 minute add salt and pepper.

Add 8 cups water. Bring pressure cooker to full pressure and cook for 15 minutes.

Quick-release open cooker, add spelt, stir, and season with salt.

Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.

Quick-release open cooker, add potatoes and bok choy stems.

Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.

Quick-release open cooker. Add zest, parsley, lemon juice, bok choy greens, and a bit more salt and pepper.

Cook for 5-10 minutes more.

Serve with additional chopped parsley and grated cheese.