This soup does taste better if you leave the beans to soak overnight, but quite frankly, unless you are cooking for a special occasion, life is too short to soak beans — a good quality tin is fine.

Method

1. Chop the onion and or or leek and sauté in some olive oil on a gentle heat with the bay leaf.

2. Roughly chop the other vegetables and add them to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so. Add the ras-el-hanout spice mix (this is a north-African spice mix that you can buy in most supermarkets now. If you can’t find it, use Schwartz Moroccan spice mix or make your own combination with a selection of the following: cumin, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, chili).

3. Add the garlic, ginger, orange zest, beans and chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato puree and the stock.

4. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Check for seasoning. You may need some more spice — play around a bit; you could try adding a little ground coriander or cardamom, for instance. Add the fresh herbs but reserve a little for decoration.

5. Transfer to a large serving dish. Drizzle some fruity olive oil onto the soup and sprinkle with a little fresh parsley or cilantro.

6. Eat with chunks of crusty bread.