Harira

Photo: Feasting at Home

The soup Morocco breaks the Ramadan fast with. Lentils, chickpeas, tomato, a little cinnamon and a pile of cilantro. Sylvia's is vegetarian and takes an hour.

From Sylvia Fountaine at Feasting at Home · @feastingathome

Moroccan harira: red and green lentils, chickpeas and tomato with ginger, cumin and cinnamon, broken pasta, and a big handful of herbs.

You need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped small
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 can (28 oz) whole or crushed tomatoes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pinch of saffron (optional)
• 1 to 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup brown or green lentils
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 15-oz can)
• 2 tsp honey, if needed
• 1/4 lb capellini, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• Lemon wedges, to serve

How to make it

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery until soft, 5 to 6 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, paprika and cayenne and toast for 1 minute.
3. Add the broth, tomatoes (crushing whole ones with your hands), cinnamon stick, saffron, salt and both lentils. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 minutes, until the green lentils are tender.
4. Add the chickpeas and the broken pasta and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 6 minutes. Taste; if the tomatoes are sharp, add the honey.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in most of the cilantro and parsley.
6. Serve with the rest of the herbs on top and lemon to squeeze over.

Written in our own words from Sylvia Fountaine's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Harira, Feasting at Home.

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