Harira Moroccan Soup

La storia di questo piatto

Harira belongs to Morocco and echoes across Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, with Berber roots and Andalusian and Persian whispers; one source ties it to thirteenth-century Fes, though its true birth remains debated. It is the Maghreb's answer to an empty stomach and a patient day.

Ingredienti

• 100 g Dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)
• 500 ml Water for soaking the chickpeas
• 250 g Lamb shoulder, diced
• 1 piece Large onion
• 2 piece Celery with leaves
• 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g Butter
• 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch Saffron threads
• 400 g Ripe tomatoes (or tomato pulp)
• 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
• 80 g Dried brown lentils
• 1500 ml Cooking water
• 1/2 bunch Fresh parsley
• 1/2 bunch Fresh coriander
• 3 tablespoon Plain flour (00)
• 150 ml Cold water for the tadouira
• 6 g Fine salt
• 1 piece Lemon (juice)
• 8 piece Medjool dates to serve

Preparazione

1. The evening before, place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with the 500 ml of cold water: they need room, since they will swell considerably. By morning they will have almost doubled: drain them and set them aside. The rest waits for now, as harira is patient and is built in layers, one step at a time.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil with the 20 g of butter over medium-high heat. Add the diced lamb in two batches, without crowding the pot, otherwise the meat boils in its own liquid instead of browning. Let each side take on a good colour and notice the nutty aroma: that colour is flavour, and the brown residue that sticks to the bottom must not be discarded, you will use it later. Season with 3 g of the total salt (half of the 6 g listed).
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the finely chopped onion and the celery cut into small pieces with its leaves, and let them soften for 6–7 minutes, stirring, until the onion is translucent and soft, without browning. Then add the turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and pepper and let them sizzle for just 20 seconds in the fat: they should smell of toasted spice rather than raw powder. Crumble the saffron between your fingers and add it.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and 1.5 litres of water, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to lift all the brown residue: that is where the flavour hides. Bring to the boil and skim off the greyish foam that rises to the surface, then lower the heat to gentle and leave the lid slightly ajar. Cook for about 80–90 minutes, until the lamb yields easily to a fork and a chickpea pressed between two fingers gives way but still keeps a little core. If the liquid drops considerably, add a ladle of hot water. Do not add the tomato here, as it would toughen the chickpeas: they need to soften first.
5. Halfway through the cooking of the chickpeas and lamb, peel the tomatoes: blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water and the skin will slip off on its own. Blend them and cook them separately in a small pan with the tomato paste, over medium-low heat, for 15 minutes: they should lose their water, thicken and no longer taste acidic. When the chickpeas and lamb are tender, add them to the soup together with the rinsed lentils and half of the chopped herbs (a quarter of a bunch of parsley and a quarter of coriander), adjust with the remaining 3 g of salt and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still whole.
6. Prepare the tadouira: dissolve the flour in the 150 ml of cold water, whisking with a fork, until you have a smooth milk without a single lump (the water must be cold, otherwise the flour will misbehave). Raise the heat slightly and pour it in a thin stream into the soup, stirring constantly with a whisk or spoon. As soon as it returns to the boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring often: the soup should coat the spoon and become silky, and the raw flour taste will disappear.
7. Turn off the heat. Only now squeeze in the lemon and add the remaining chopped herbs (the other quarter bunch of parsley and the other of coriander): acidity added at the end brightens the flavours, whereas on the heat it would be lost. Always taste before serving: if the soup is flat it needs more salt or a splash of lemon, if it is too thick, loosen it with a ladle of hot water. Serve piping hot, with 2 Medjool dates per person (8 in total) on the side to alternate with each spoonful: the soft sweetness against the savoury, tangy soup is the playful balance of this dish.