The pandemic has has been quite an interesting time within the food industry. Every restaurateur has had to take certain measures to reinvent their establishment to not only stay safe (for both consumers and employees), but also to stay relevant during these tough times. Being a private chef and food stylist, I have also had to work on switching it up a bit! Luckily, I had a little help from my friend Chef Katherine from the LA area. Chef Katherine suggested that I follow in her footsteps and create a Nostimo Kitchen weekly meal program with an added delivery service. If you’re in Los Angeles, I highly recommend checking her out @ChefKatherine (instagram)! One of the things that I love about the food industry is that we all support one another and love to help inspire our peers.

Considering we have seen the last of our warm days in Michigan, I thought this simple recipe for a warm Moroccan Lentil Soup or Harira would be perfect for November. It is the best way for my customers to healthily indulge in during our second shut down, right before the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Moroccan Lentil Soup or Harira can be complicated and time consuming, however, this variation is very simple! It contains less spices, but still is full of depth and flavor. You can make this dish with lamb or beef as well, but I chose to keep it lighter, and make it vegetarian.

Harira is the national soup of Morocco and it changes in different regions, but one thing you can count on in each version is a noodle, herbs, greens and lots of spices. Definitely note that every family may have their own variation depending on their traditions! This soup is traditionally served with a crusty, hard bread and lemon. I have also found it is hearty enough to serve as a main meal on a cold winters night.

Easy Moroccan Lentil Soup

Print Recipe
Serves: 6 Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Onion diced
  • 4 Celery stalks
  • 8 Cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 Can of chickpeas
  • 1 Cup of Brown lentils
  • 1/2 Cup of cilantro
  • 1/2 Cup parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
  • 5 Cloves of chopped garlic
  • 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons of coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon of pepper flakes
  • 1 can 28 oz of crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 Cup of orzo
  • 4 oz of swiss chard

Instructions

1

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a stock pot, add onions and celery until they brown on a medium high heat when they turn brown reduce heat to a medium low and add your spices. Stir in ginger, coriander, paprika, garlic, cinnamon, pepper flakes let the spices bloom together. Add herbs, cilantro and parsley. Next add stock, chickpeas and lentils. Raise the flame to a medium high heat until it comes to a simmer, reduce heat and partial cover the pot to release the steam for 7 mins. Remove top and add in tomatoes, swiss chard and orzo partial cover and simmer for 7 to 10 mins. At the end add 1/4 cup of parsley and cilantro for extra flavor and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Notes

Make sure you partial cover to prevent the steam to remain in the pot Add herbs both at the beginning and at the end for extra flavor And don't forget the lemon juice it is just the right amount of acid for this dish and it finishes it off perfect Rinse lentil and sort through them before adding them in

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