I first had this soup in Morocco in 1982. It's one of the world's great soups. My rendition is not necessarily 100% faithful, but it's close, and very tasty. You can easily make it vegetarian by leaving out the lamb, vegan by leaving out the lamb and eggs, and gluten-free by substituting rice for the vermicelli.
Jack's Harira
1+ pound cubed lamb meat (chicken OK too)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (I sometimes add a little saffron too)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 2-3 sticks of cinnamon)
2 tsp.cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, or better yet a few hearty gratings of fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or a doze of your favorite chilis or Tabasco)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
7 cups water
3/4 cup green lentils (French De Puy are the best, but any green or brown lentil works)
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained (better: soak and cook the dried ones)
4 ounces vermicelli pasta, or thin spaghetti, or rice (Basmati or short grain) for GF folk
2 eggs, beaten
1 lemon, juiced (note: if you have access to preserved lemons, chop one up and add it...it's a great addition)
1. Place the olive oil, lamb, turmeric, garlic, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cayenne, butter,
celery, onion, and cilantro into a large soup pot over a low heat. Stir
frequently for 5 minutes. Pour tomatoes (reserve juice) into the mixture and
let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Pour tomato
juice, 7 cups water, and the lentils into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil,
then reduce the heat to simmer. Let soup simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
3. About 10
minutes before serving turn the heat to medium-high, place chickpeas and
noodles into the soup, let cook about 10 minutes (until noodles are al dente).
Stir in lemon and eggs, let eggs cook 1 minute. Add some freshly chopped
parsley and cilantro.
---o0o---
No comments:
Post a Comment