Morrocan Harira

[highlyeccentric]

This is a slight variation on the Harira recipe in Debra Mayhew's Soups, Chowders, Consomés and Broths: apparently Harira is traditionally eaten as the evening meal during Ramadan, so it's about as far from a lunch recipe as you can get. BUT it's big and hearty and makes a great batch meal at any time.


Recipe requires:
* Lifting a large pot - but only when said pot is empty
* Some chopping of onion and lamb (unless you can get pre-diced lamb?), but no really fine chopping
* Opening of tins (unless you'd rather dice your own tomatoes and soak dried chickpeas, in which case you're more stalwart than I)
* 2-3 hours of time, but it looks after itself for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Recipe is lactose free. Could be gluten free if you found suitable noodles or forwent noodles altogether.


~500 grams lamb, give or take, in small strips or cubes
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped into strips
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup red lentils
1 whole head of garlic, broken up into cloves, with the ends chopped off the cloves
2 cups water
A handful of chopped parsley
1/2 tsp of Tumeric
2 bay leaves
4 or 5 small onions, peeled and halved
Two coils of egg noodles

To garnish:
Ground cinnamon
Dried or fresh coriander
Lemon slices

1. Heat a large pot. Fry the lamb and the chopped onion in the butter, for around 5 min.
2. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic cloves, lentils, water, tumeric, bay leaves and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Simmer for 1 1/2.
5. Add the halved onions. Simmer for a further 30-60 minutes, until onions are soft.
6. Prepare the egg noodles. When tender, add to soup. Simmer for 2-5 min, until flavour has seeped in.
7. Serve garnished with cinnamon, coriander and lemon slices.

Comments

[pennyplainknits]

This one's a no-go for me because of the tomatoes (I have thing. It's actually more limiting than one might think) but huge, huge love for your icon. Oh Bradley.