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I use canned beans for speed, the lentils cook fast so dried is fine. I also chop up chicken and cook some in this soup.
Meatless Harira
Moroccan Ramadan Soup (Eating Well Magazine October 1990)
The traditional version of this contains lamb and sometimes chicken
1/2 c. dried chickpeas ( I use canned)
1/2 cup dried white beans, such as great northern, washed and picked over ( I use canned)
2 Tbsp. olive, safflower or sunflower oil
2 yellow onions, chopped .
3/4 cup chopped celery leaves and ribs
l /2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. or more freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. saffron threads or 1/4 tsp. powdered saffron
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 lbs. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or two 28-oz. cans well-drained and chopped
3/4 cup lentils
salt to taste
1/2 cup fine vermicelli, broken into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
juice of one lemon
lemon slices, cilantro and cinnamon for garnish
Soak beans overnight or use quick soak method: cover beans
with water three times their volume, bring to a boil and boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil over low heat in a heavy-bottomed soup pot and
saute onion over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring
until tender and beginning to color. Add celery, parsley, cilan-
tro, turmeric, cinnamon, l tsp. pepper, saffron and ginger
and saute, stirring, for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add toma-
toes, cover, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, over
medium-low heat for another l0 to 15 minutes. Add chick
peas and white beans to the pot, along with lentils and 2 1/2
quarts water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer,
partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beans are
thoroughly tender. Season to taste with salt and more pepper. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with
a wooden spoon to thicken the broth slightly.
About 5 minutes before serving, remove 1/2 cup soup from
the pot and set aside to cool. Stir vermicelli into the pot. Meanwhile, mix together egg and lemon. When the vermicelli is
cooked, turn off the heat. Gradually add egg-lemon mixture _
to the cooled l/2 cup soup and quicklv stir into soup. Serve
at once, garnished with lemon slices, a light sprinkling ot cin-
namon and chopped cilantro.
Serves 8.
