Harira

Harira is a soup, traditionally served in North Africa at the evening meal during Ramadan. Regardless of its history, it's an amazing blend of flavors. This recipe is probably not going to be loved by everyone, but it was a hit for us. It comes from the Moosewood cookbook.

1c chopped onions
4c Vegetable broth/stock
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp turmeric
1Tb grated fresh ginger
1/8tsp cayenne
1c peeled and diced carrots
1/2c diced celery
1c undrained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2c diced potatoes
pinch of saffron
1c cooked lentils
1c drained cooked chickpeas
1-2Tb chopped fresh cilantro
1Tb fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions in 1c stock for 10 minutes. Combine the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne in a small bowl and add 2-3 Tb of the hot liquid to form a paste. Stir this paste into the pot along with the carrots, celery, and the remaining stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and potatoes and continue to cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Crumble in the saffron. Stir in the lentils, chickpeas, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt/pepper to taste. Reheat and serve immediately.

It turned out great, but my hunch is that leftovers will be even better.