Poor man's winter soup

Roughly dice a small onion, roughly chop five garlic cloves, finely chop a peeled carrot, and cut a peeled, washed and dried large potato into small bite-size cubes.

Drain two cans of chickpeas in a colander and rinse under cold running water.

Heat a stock pot over medium heat with 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil for a couple of minutes; add all the vegetables except the potato.

Saute, stirring continuously, about four minutes until the onions are translucent.

Add the potato and chickpeas, season with sea salt and black pepper, and mix gently.

Add one liter of vegetable broth and a sprig of fresh thyme.

Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, lower to low-medium and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick goes easily into the potato.

Cut the broccoli florets from the stem into bite-sized pieces and rinse in a colander.

Stir in the broccoli, cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until tender with a light crisp; two minutes more for softer, but do not let it go mushy.

Off the heat, ladle into shallow bowls, squeeze over fresh lemon juice and garnish with hard boiled eggs.