Harira Recipes

Steps:

• Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.
• Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Steps:

• Place the lamb, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, butter, celery, onion, and cilantro into a large soup pot over a low heat. Stir frequently for 5 minutes. Pour tomatoes (reserve juice) into the mixture and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Pour tomato juice, 7 cups water, and the lentils into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Let soup simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• About 10 minutes before serving turn the heat to medium-high, place chickpeas and noodles into the soup, let cook about 10 minutes (until noodles are al dente). Stir in lemon and eggs, let eggs cook 1 minute.

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl, pour 1 cup of water, the lemon juice and the flour. Set aside.
• Also put 1 garlic clove and 1/4 of the corriander to one side until the end of cooking.
• Take a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker and place the meat (if using small pieces or boneless meat, it's best to secure them in a muslin cloth bag), add the vegetables and remaining corriander roughly chopped.
• Fry those ingredients with a little oil, 1 tsp of ras el hanout for a couple of minutes then pour on the water and leave to simmer, covered for 1 and a 1/2 hours or around 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. (or until meat and vegetables are tender) Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Remove the meat and set aside. Remove any traces of bones, gristle etc.
• Liquidise the remaining vegetables and push through sieve when finished, take another cup of freshly boiled water and pour over sieve to get any last traces!
• Put everything back in the pan and on low heat (just enough to reach a slow boil) You may wish to add a little more water or stock at this stage.
• When the harira reaches the boil, lower heat a little & add the flour mixture prepared in step 1. Add a few tbsp of the harira to the flour mix first. Remember to add gradually and stir continuously to avoid lumps.
• Turn heat to low and finely chopped coriander (last 1/4), final garlic clove minced & 2 tsp of ras el hanout. Allow the harira to heat through again so garlic is not raw.
• Sprinkle more coriander on top if desired and serve with fresh bread.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the meat, onion and spices with 1½ tsp salt. Leave for 5-10 mins to lightly brown the meat, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lentils, cornflour, coriander and lemon wedges. Add 1 litre of boiling water, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer for 1 hr.
• Add the lentils to the casserole, cover with a lid and cook for a further 20 mins. When the chickpeas, meat and lentils are cooked, mix the cornflour in a small bowl with 3 tbsp water, and stir until smooth. Stir the cornflour mixture into the casserole. Simmer for 5 mins until the harira thickens and takes on a velvety texture.
• Scatter over the coriander, then serve hot with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, saffron and cinnamon. Cook for about 2 minutes more.
• Add tomato, celery leaves and cilantro and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until mixture thickens somewhat, then add 1 teaspoon salt, the brown lentils, red lentils and dried favas. Add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, covered with the lid ajar.
• Let soup simmer for 30 minutes, then taste broth and adjust salt. Cook for 1 hour more at a gentle simmer, until the legumes are soft and creamy. It may be necessary to add more liquid from time to time to keep soup from being too porridge-like. It should be on the thick side, but with a pourable consistency. (With every addition of water, taste and adjust for salt.)
• Just before serving, add pasta and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into small bowls and pass lemon wedges for squeezing.

Steps:

• In a heavy kettle (at least 5 quarts) simmer chicken in broth and water 17 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through, and transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Add to kettle tomatoes, saffron, onions, chick-peas, rice, and lentils and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones, and stir into soup with salt and pepper to taste. Soup may be prepared 4 days ahead (cool uncovered before chilling covered).
• In a bowl soak chick-peas in water to cover by 2 inches overnight or quick-soak (procedure follows) and drain.
• To Cook Dried Chickpeas:
• In a saucepan combine drained chick-peas and water to cover by 2 inches and simmer, covered partially, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Drain chick-peas.
• To make 2 cups cooked chick-peas begin with a scant cup dried.
• Just before serving, stir in coriander and parsley.
• To Quick-Soak Dried Beans
• Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.
• In a large saucepan combine dried beans, picked over and rinsed, with triple their volume of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook beans, uncovered, over moderate heat 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let beans soak 1 hour.

Steps:

• Rinse and pick over fava beans if you can't get these then use dried broad/lima/butter beans and chickpeas. Soak overnight in water to cover. Quick soak method; place beans in large soup pot and add 2 litres hot water. Bring water to a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and soak beans for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Squeeze each fava bean and chickpea between your thumb and first two fingers to remove skins. Set aside.
• In large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onions and meat (chicken can be used as well as beef or no meat at all though NEVER pork) stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add turmeric, ginger, paprika and 2 litres water. Cover and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add fava beans, chickpeas and cook, covered, until beans are tender. 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on your beans.
• Finely chop together tomatoes, parsley and cilantro. Add this mixture along with the tomato paste, the lentils, pepper, juice of the lemon and drop in 1/2 of the squeezed lemon and salt to taste. Cover and cook until lentils are tender 20 to 25 minutes.
• Bring back to the boil and make a fairly thick slurry (flour and water) with the 1/2 cup of flour. Add this to the boiling soup stirring very briskly to avoid lumps. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Add nutmeg and caraway. Bring the soup to medium heat, you just want a nice slow bubbling.
• Add pasta (orzo or small soup pasta can be used as well though I always prefer vermicelli) and cook until soft. Taste and add salt to taste and adjust pepper. When soup is heated through, ladle harira into individual soup bowls. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, Moroccan flat bread ("My Rough Khoubz works well) or crusty french baguette. This soup should be velvety, not overly thick.
• Prep time does not include soaking the beans.
• NB: Harira is eaten all year, not only at Ramadan. In Morocco the nutmeg is ground to a powder which is darker and very pungent. If you cannot find or do your nutmeg this way, then I recommend that you purchase the freshest nutmeg that you can find.

Steps:

• In a soup pot, saute the onion and celery in the oil until the onions are translucent.
• Add the spices, potates, and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Mix in the chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, and stock and simmer until all of the vegetables are almost tender.
• Add the zucchini and vermicelli and simmer for about 5 minutes longer.
• Mix in the chick peas, lemon juice and S and P to taste.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onions and garlic until starting to soften. Tip in the spices and chilli, stir briefly, then pour in the passata and stock. Add the lentils, carrots, sweet potato and celery, and bring to the boil.
• Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 30 mins, then cook uncovered for a further 5-10 mins until the vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in the chopped coriander and serve in bowls with lemon wedges for squeezing over, and the reserved coriander sprinkled over.

Steps:

• Season lamb with salt and pepper. In 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown the lamb just until browned on all sides. With a slotted spoon, remove lamb to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onion and garlic to the juices that the lamb has released until translucent, 2-3 minutes.
• Add carrot and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste , and spices (Has el Hanout, Cumin and Paprika). The Moroccan blend, Has el Hanout, which is Arabic for "head of the shop" which implies that the spices used are the best the shop has to offer, is a spice blend of over 30 spices. Spices may vary but tend to include cardamom, clove, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, peppercorn, to name a few.
• Add the lamb broth, chick peas and lentils to the pot.
• Add the lamb back to the pot and simmer until lentils are tender. If using lamb loin, which does not have a lot of fat, add it toward the end of the cooking process. If using shoulder, add it in the beginning so it can stew and become tender.
• Cilantro makes this dish! Chop a big bunch and add it to the soup a few minutes before the soup is done. Save some to the side to use as garnish.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, mint, paprika, turmeric, ginger, harissa, and saffron. Add water and cook over medium heat until flavors have combined, about 30 minutes.
• Mix a few tablespoons of soup liquid with flour and cornstarch in a small bowl and return to the soup, stirring in well. Add cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, put the meat, celery, onion, parsley, cilantro, butter, ginger, and cinnamon. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cover with 6 cups/1.5 L water, stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and chickpeas, and stir in 1 1/2 cups/360 ml water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm 1 cup/240 ml water and whisk in the flour and lemon juice. Remove from the heat, let sit for 10 minutes, and then whisk again.
• Add the flour mixture to the soup in a slow but steady stream while continually stirring. Cook, stirring frequently to avoid any sticking, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the vermicelli and cook until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes. The texture of the soup should be velvety.
• Serve in bowls with lemon wedges on the side and with the dates and figs on a small platter.