Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Stew)

Harira is the traditional Moroccan and Algerian soup that's used to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan as well as served after special celebrations like weddings. But there's no reason to confine yourself to making harira for special occasions — it's a delicious and hearty dish at any time. Usually served with lamb, or occasionally beef or chicken, harira is considered to a be a meal all by itself, but vegetarians will find it satisfying alongside buttered rice or a few hard-boiled eggs, with some dates or figs on the side.

There are many regional variations on this dish, but I find this version to be particularly nice and spicy, especially with the addition of harissa as a condiment for the soup. For those of you not familiar with this classic and North African hot sauce made from dried hot chili peppers, garlic and roasted cumin seeds, I've given the recipe for harissa here.

Harira

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
dash celery seed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large hot peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2/3 cup green lentils, washed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper
juice from one lemon
harissa for serving

Soak the chickpeas overnight in 4 cups of water and a little bit of yogurt whey or lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover, letting cook for one hour or until the chickpeas are tender but still firm. Drain the chickpeas and reserve 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Add a dash of celery seed to the liquid and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hot peppers, garlic, ginger and spices and stir fry for 2 more minutes, coating the onions with the spices and scraping the bottom of the pan periodically to prevent sticking.

Stir in the chickpeas' cooking liquid and add the lentils, tomato and tomato paste. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover, letting simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Stir in the chickpeas and parsley and let the soup simmer for 5 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in the salt, pepper and lemon juice.

To serve, pour some olive oil into a small bowl and spoon some harissa into another. Ladle the soup into bowls and place the olive oil and harissa on the table for people to serve themselves by adding to the soup.

Serves 4.