How to prepare Moroccan soups

 Harira is an authentic Moroccan soup made of tomato, lentils, and chickpeas, but also includes meat, making it a filling and satisfying dish. There are many types of soup but the most famous are called "Red Harira".

Harira recipes yield a delicious, hearty soup which can be served as a filling lunch or light supper. Although served year-round, it is particularly popular during Ramadan, when it is served to break the fast.

The recipe follows the pressure cooker method which speeds up the cooking. To adapt cooking times for traditionally simmering in a stockpot, follow the directions for the traditional stockpot method.

Before proceeding with the recipe, read the steps in advance for a simpler cooking process.

Ingredients

1.     1/2 pound meat (lamb, beef or chicken; uncooked, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)

2.     3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3.     3 cups water

4.     2 to 3 tablespoons dried lentils (picked over and washed)

5.     3 tablespoons tomato paste (mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water)

6.     Optional: several soup bones

For the Stock.

ü 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

ü 1 tablespoon ground ginger

ü 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

ü 1 tablespoon Kosher salt

ü 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or 1/4 teaspoon yellow colorant)

ü 1 bunch cilantro ( finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup)

ü 1 bunch fresh parsley (finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup)

ü 1 or 2 stalk celery (with leaves; finely chopped)

ü 1 large onion (grated)

ü 1 handful of dried chickpeas (soaked and then peeled)

ü 6 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds; peeled, seeded and pureed)

Gather The Ingredients.

1.     Wash the herbs and drain well.

2.     Pick the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems. Small pieces of stem are all right, but discard long, thick pieces with no leaves.

3.     Finely chop them by hand or with a food processor.

4.     Soak and skin the chickpeas. (You might want to soak them the night before you cook.)

5.     Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Or, stew the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skin.

6.     Pick through the lentils and wash them.

Next, brown the meat.

Brown the Meat

1.     Put the meat, soup bones and oil into a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker.

2.     Over medium heat, cook the meat for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.

Next, make the stock.

1.     Add the cilantro, parsley, celery, onion, chickpeas, smen (if using), spices and tomatoes. Stir in 3 cups of water.

2.     Cover tightly, and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.

Make the Soup

1.     Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and 2 quarts of water to the stock.

2.     Set aside (but don’t add yet) either the rice or vermicelli.

3.     Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking.

4.     If adding rice: Cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the rice. Cover, and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes.

5.     If adding vermicelli: Cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked.

Next, thicken the soup.

Thicken the Soup

1.     While the soup is cooking, make a (soup thickener) by mixing together the 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water. Set the mixture aside, and stir or whisk it occasionally.

2.     The flour will eventually blend with the water. If the mixture is not smooth when you're ready to use it, pass it through a sieve to remove lumps.

3.     Once the rice (or vermicelli) has cooked, taste the soup for seasoning. Add salt or pepper if desired.

4.     Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly — and in a thin stream — pour in the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup

5.     simmering so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom. You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used approximately half the flour mixture. The thickness of harira is up to you. Some like to thicken the broth so that it achieves a cream-like consistency.

6.     Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat and serve with some parsley.