Moroccan Spiced Chickpea And Lentil Soup Recipes

MOROCCAN LENTIL AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• In large heavy saucepan or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add cinnamon, turmeric, salt, pepper, ginger, hot pepper sauce and saffron. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes or until lentils are tender.
• Stir in noodles and simmer, covered, about 7 minutes longer or until noddles are just tender. In bowl, whisk flour, and 1 cup water until smooth. Whisk flour mixture into soup and simmer, stirring often, for 2-4 minutes or until soup is thickened and no raw flour taste remains.
• Stir in half of the parsley and cilantro, and all of the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding up to 1/2 tsp more salt if needed. Garnish with remaining parsley and cilantro.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar. Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so the chickpeas are just covered.
• Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes.
• Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes.
• Season again, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Serve soup, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

HARIRA (SPICED MOROCCAN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CHICKPEAS, CILANTRO, AND LEMON)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa or chile flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup each of the parsley and cilantro, tomatoes, and the stock or water and bring to a boil. If using the soaked chickpeas, drain them and add to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, then add the lentils, another teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper and continue simmering until the chickpeas and lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes more. If using canned chickpeas omit the first 25 minutes of simmering and add with the lentils.
• Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups (470 ml) of water. Stir into the soup. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more and serve, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro and parsley. And don't forget to have some extra harissa in a plate on the side.

MOROCCAN LAMB, LENTIL, AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Mix ground lamb, cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder together in a bowl. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.
• Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat; stir in onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add spiced lamb mixture. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add consomme, diced tomatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, and honey. Stir in carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, lentils, apricots, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
• Bring soup just to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKPEA AND LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium sized pot heat the olive oil at medium heat and add fennel, gently cooking for a couple of minutes while the fennel releases its natural juices.
• Add the red and white onions, cook until soft and translucent, but without turning brown, stirring mixture from time to time, about 12 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and increase heat to high until the mixture comes to a simmer (about 5 minutes).
• Add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic and saffron if using, letting them infuse the mixture with their flavors for a few more minutes.
• Add the lentils, vegetable stock, sprigs of cilantro and parsley and bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
• Season with salt, pepper and sugar, stirring the mixture a couple of times. Cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Add the cooked chickpeas and cook uncovered for another 5 to 7 minutes until heated through.
• Mix well, season again with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Remove bay leafs and sprigs of cilantro and parsley.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKPEA AND LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• For the charmoula, mix 4 tablespoons of the oil, cumin, garlic, jalapeño and lemon juice in a food processor to make a purée.
• Pick cilantro leaves from their stems and add to food processor along with zest and salt and pepper.
• Pulse mixture a couple of times, scraping it down from the side of the bowl in between pulses.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil if needed. The mixture should resemble a rustic pesto.
• Place in tightly closed container and refrigerate for up to two days.
• For the soup, heat oil in a 4-quart pot with over medium heat.
• Add fennel and gently cooking for a couple of minutes while the fennel releases its natural juices.
• Add red and white onions and cook until soft and translucent, stirring mixture from time to time, about 12 minutes.
• Add tomatoes with their liquid and increase heat to high until the mixture comes to a simmer.
• Add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic and saffron, if using, and let them infuse the mixture with their flavors for a few more minutes.
• Add broth, lentils, cilantro and parsley sprigs, and bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add sugar and salt and pepper, stirring the mixture a couple of times.
• Cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Add garbanzo beans and cook, uncovered, for another 5 to 7 minutes until heated through.
• Mix well and season again with salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaves, cilantro and parsley.
• Serve soup hot, with 1 tablespoon of the reserved charmoula on top, if desired.
• For a thicker soup, remove about 1 cup of the cooked lentils and garbanzo beans from the soup and process them in blender, adding some extra liquid if needed. Add the blended mixture back to the soup.
• For a thinner soup, add extra vegetable broth.