Meatless Harira (a Moroccan Soup)

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 stalk celery & leaves, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons semolina or 3 tablespoons flour, mixed with
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 bouillon cube, preferably beef
• salt
• lemon wedge (to serve)

Recipe

• 1 in a large soup pot, saute the onion, parsley, celery, pepper and turmeric in the butter for a few minutes, then add the cinnamon and other spices.
• 2 saute on very low heat for about 15 minutes or less, until the onions are soft and the spices are well-distributed.
• 3 wash the lentils.
• 4 puree the coriander leaves in a blender with a little water, or pound with a mortar and pestle.
• 5 add both to the pot, along with the crushed tomatoes (i also like to puree the tomatoes in the blender before i add them, to eliminate any large chunks that might remain).
• 6 cook for 15 minutes over low heat, and then add 1 1/2 quarts of water (about 7 cups).
• 7 add the soup cube.
• 8 cook on low/medium heat until the lentils are soft (i usually let the soup cook for about 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend).
• 9 a few minutes before serving, add salt to the soup (you could also add some vermicelli or other small soup noodle at this point, but i personally don't; if you do, make sure to allow an extra few minutes for the noodles to cook).
• 10 add the flour and water mixture; mix well to prevent lumps from forming.
• 11 serve with lemon wedges on the side, to be squeezed over the soup.