Red Moroccan Harira Food

MOROCCAN HARIRA

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.

CLASSIC MOROCCAN HARIRA: TOMATO, LENTIL, AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat up the cooking oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker. Add the meat.
• Cook for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, kosher salt, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, celery, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, onion, chickpeas, and smen (if using). Stir and add 3 cups of the water.
• Cover tightly and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.
• Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and the remaining 8 cups (2 quarts) of water. If at any point there's an oily surface forming on top of the soup, simply skim it off and discard. This can happen because of the meat's fat, if left on.
• Have the rice or vermicelli at hand, if using, but don't add yet.
• Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking. If adding rice, cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure and add the rice. Cover and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. If using vermicelli, cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.
• While the soup is cooking, make a soup thickener by mixing together the flour and water.
• Mix well, but if the mixture is not smooth, pass it through a sieve to remove lumps.
• Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly, and in a thin stream, pour in 1/4 of the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn't stick to the bottom or cooks up in lumps.
• Add another 1/4 of the flour thickener. You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used approximately half the flour mixture. The thickness of harira is up to you.
• Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat, serve, and garnish with some chopped parsley. Enjoy.

MOROCCAN RED HARISSA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Char the bell and chile peppers under a hot broiler until the skins are evenly blackened. Place in a bowl and cover to cool to handle. Wipe the charred skins away with paper towels and seed the peppers. Reserve for later use.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat a bit. Add the garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon, ginger, onions, paprika, cumin and some salt and pepper, and cook to soften a bit, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of vinegar.
• Place the peeled peppers in the bowl of a food processor with 1 cup of the stock, and process until pureed. Add the puree to the pan, thin with about 1/2 cup water and slide the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and finish cooking the chicken through. Turn off heat and cover until you serve.
• To serve, heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock (or 1 cup stock and 1/2 cup water) and the butter to a boil with the rice. Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer the rice for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff with fork.
• In shallow bowls, top the rice with the chicken in spicy sauce, garnish with scallions before serving.
• Get Rachael's shopping list for this episode's recipes here.

VEGETARIAN MOROCCAN HARIRA

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.

HAJAR'S OWN HARIRA -- THE NATIONAL SOUP OF MOROCCO

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.

MOROCCAN HARIRA - A FAVOURITE IN ALGERIA

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.

HARIRA - MOROCCAN LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Place the lamb, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, margarine, 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.

HARIRA

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.

HARIRA

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.

RED MOROCCAN HARIRA

Steps:

• Mix all spices in a small cup. Set Aside.
• In a food processor, puree all veggies.
• Fry garlic and lentils in oil for 2 minutes in a pan.
• Add Veggie Puree to pan. Sauté on med/high heat for 15 minutes. Stir once in awhile.
• Meanwhile, chop meat into 1/2 inch cubes.
• In Large stew Pot: Combine 2 c water, chopped meat, tomato sauce, pasta pieces and sauté mixture.
• Bring to a light boil. Let it all cook for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally.
• Add spices, chickpeas and 1 more c water.
• Dissolve flour in 2/3c water. Add to stew. Cook 10 more minutes.
• Add Milk. Cook 5 more minutes.
• Squeeze in fresh lemon and turn off.
• ENJOY!