Tunisian Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare the crispy chickpeas: Transfer chickpeas to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean dish towel or paper towels. Cover with another towel (or paper towels) on top, rubbing gently to dry. Remove top towel and let air-dry for at least 30 minutes and preferably 1 hour.
• As chickpeas dry, start preparing the soup: In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot, combine soaked chickpeas, 5 cups water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt over high heat. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chickpeas are tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. While chickpeas are cooking, cut bread into thick slices, then tear slices into bite-size pieces. Place bread in one layer on large rimmed baking sheet and toast until crisp and light brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on pan and set aside.
• Finish the crunchy chickpeas: Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove the towels from baking sheet with the chickpeas, and toss the chickpeas with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and za'atar until well coated. Roast until golden and crispy, about 13 to 18 minutes, tossing halfway through. When chickpeas are still hot, sprinkle lightly more salt. Taste and add more salt or za'atar, or both, if you'd like.
• When the chickpeas for the soup are tender, discard bay leaves. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 2 cups of chickpeas, 1/2 cup of chickpea cooking liquid and 1/4 cup olive oil to a blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blitz half the chickpeas into a rough purée. Add the olive oil before puréeing. The broth won't be as silky as it would be puréed in a regular blender, but it will taste just as good.)
• In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cumin and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add a splash of the chickpea cooking liquid to the pan, and bring to a simmer to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat.
• Add chickpea purée and onion mixture to soup, along with harissa and lemon juice, and stir well. Add a little water if soup seems too thick, and more salt, if needed.
• To serve, divide toasted bread pieces among soup bowls, then ladle in soup. Garnish with lemon zest, parsley, olive oil, more cumin and some of the crispy chickpeas - you'll have leftovers. Serve hot, with more harissa on the side.

Steps:

• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in couscous; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in water, zucchini, potato, green beans, carrots, tomato puree, coriander, chile powder, cumin, and salt; bring to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in milk.

Steps:

• Combine stock, chickpeas, harissa, cumin, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce temperature, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Divide bread, chopped parsley, cilantro, and capers between 4 soup bowls. Scoop an egg from the shell into each bowl, pour soup on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine lamb, egg white and spice mixture and mix well. When all the ingredients are combined, stuff olives with meat mixture. In a large saucepan, heat oil. Sear olives, meat side down, in the hot oil. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions to the pan, and sweat until translucent. Add tomato paste, harissa, tomato puree, water and white beans, and bring it to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn down the heat and simmer slowly until beans are tender, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Add additional water if needed. Add seared stuffed olives and cook for 15 minutes more. Add pickled vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve in a bowl, accompanied by a pita or baguette.

Steps:

• Combine first 9 ingredients in large pot. Add 1/3 cup cilantro and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes. Add fish and olive oil and simmer until fish is cooked, about 10 minutes. Using back of spoon, break up fish into smaller pieces. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve.

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, place lentils with the cinnamon stick in 7 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and drain the lentils, reserving the liquid.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground cumin, and bay leaves. Saute over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the onions are soft. If the pot gets a bit dry moisten with some of the reserved lentil water.
• Measure out the reserved lentil water and add water to reach 6 cups of liquid and return to soup pot with the spiced cooked onions. Add the canned crushed tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for another 15 minutes or so.
• Stir in the chickpeas and lentils and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through. The legumes should not become mushy.
• Season to taste with the two peppers and lemon juice; adjust salt.
• Serve hot with some yogurt [omit for Vegan], a sprinkling of parsley or mint, and currants, if desired.

Steps:

• Wash chickpeas and soak overnight (if using dried).
• If desired, rinse them again. In a large soup pot, cover chickpeas with water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (ten to twenty minutes). - Or start with two pounds of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed, and heated in four cups of water.
• Add garlic, harissa sauce, ground cumin, and salt. Simmer for ten minutes. Immediately before serving: add lemon juice, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Serve hot.