Culinary World Trip – Harira Recipe

With the weather shifting to cooler days, comfort food is often top of mind for a cozy dinner at home. In fall months, families often look for an activity to enjoy together and we all know food is best enjoyed with company. In fact, making and trying a new dish with your family is a fun and thoughtful way to bond, and 64% of Americans agree they feel proud to know recipes from cultures other than their own.

Soup is a great option for the fall, and especially as a way to spend quality time preparing it as a family. This soup recipe hails from Morocco, with warm, deep flavors that are hearty and comforting. It has a rich tomato base that contains chickpeas and lentils, seasoned with fragrant spices.

This recipe also leaves room for adjustments. While it is traditionally made with lamb, feel free to adjust to your family’s tastes by using beef, chicken, or veggies for a vegetarian spin.

As with most soups and sauce-based recipes, precise temperature control is important in cooking this meal. That’s why induction cooking is perfect for melding the rich flavors together. An induction cooktop like the Benchmark Induction Cooktop can keep heat at a precise temperature to ensure you are not burning your food and keeping it at an optimum level for a delicate simmer. Nearly half of Americans agree that a precise cooktop is the most important feature in their household when preparing a meal, not just when cooking soups!

Another key piece to this recipe is the use of fresh ingredients, especially when introducing the aromatic cilantro and parsley. The delicate flavor of fresh herbs can easily be missed if you do not properly store and refrigerate when purchasing your ingredients. Refrigerators like the 500 Series French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator with VitaFreshPro are equipped with freshness technology, ample storage space, and bright lighting to ensure your produce remains fresh and in view.

There are many ways to cook together so you maximize your quality time in the kitchen. Chopping, and taking turns to stir, peel and plate are all ways to enjoy time together before your meal is served. 64% of Americans have said that they still cook meals today that their parents or grandparents used to make for them as kids, making cooking a wonderful way to continue family traditions and establish your own.

Try this recipe out for a comfy evening at home. Enjoy!

1 onion (grated)
4.5 oz beef or lamb meat cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon salt (to be adjusted during cooking)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
a pinch of saffron (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
1 pound ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 small bunch of cilantro – very finely chopped
1 small bunch of parsley – very finely chopped
1/2 celery stick
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup of canned chickpeas (or 1 cup of dry chickpeas soaked in water overnight)
1/2 cup of lentils (soaked in water for 1 hour)
8 cups of water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg, hard boiled (for serving)

Heat the vegetable oil in the pan then fry the meat and the onion together with the salt, pepper, ginger and turmeric. Then add the lentils and chickpeas, cinnamon stick, tomato paste and water and cook the mixture for 30 minutes.

Peel and slice the tomatoes, then use a blender to blend the tomatoes with the celery. Add the tomato-celery sauce to the soup and mix well. Then add the fresh cilantro and parsley and cook for another 10 minutes. Add saffron if desired.

Mix the flour with water until the flour is perfectly dissolved. Then, little by little, add the mixture to the soup while stirring continuously to thicken the soup to your preferred texture.

Serve with a side of hard-boiled eggs and enjoy!