I’ve had a couple of requests for more vegan recipes, and although I admittedly have a freezer full of meat, I’m more than willing to oblige because I am a recently converted veggie lover.
Part of this conversion occurred while I was studying abroad in Morocco, where veggies were the most familiar part of many family meals (sheep’s feet, anyone?). I learned to like many things, but most prominently, I cleared my lifelong aversion to tomatoes. That’s thanks to this thin tomato soup, called harira (pronounced with a raspy H and rolled R’s).
Harira is traditionally eaten during the month of Ramadan, often as a pre-sunrise breakfast before a day of fasting. However, it’s a popular dish that’s eaten throughout the rest of the year, and a great street food to stumble upon. By the end of the semester, I think I spent an entire week eating just Harira for dinner. It’s thin enough to be surprisingly good even after a 100+ degree day.
Usually, harira is made with lamb or chicken, but I think that a vegetarian harira is just as good and just as filling because it’s made with lentils and chickpeas. It is also a great example of Moroccan-style cooking, in which exotic spices are eagerly thrown together for an amazing effect. So in honor of that sweltering May week in Agadir, here’s my version of Moroccan Harira:
1 Tbsp. butter (or vegetable oil for a vegan version)
1 onion, thinly diced
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. fennel seed
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. tarragon
1 cup minced cilantro
1 29 oz can tomato purée
6 cups vegetable stock
3 celery stocks, diced
3 carrots, diced
½ cup lentils
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste.
Melt the butter (or vegetable oil) in a large stock pot. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add spices and ½ cup cilantro and cook two to three more minutes. Add the tomato purée, cover, and cook five more minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, except cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for one to one and a half hours. Stir in remaining cilantro just before serving.
I eat this with plenty of crusty bread, which I use to sop up the soup and clean the bowl as I go, in true Moroccan style. Delicious!
[PHOTO COURTESY/ISABELLE CHIOSSO]