Harira

Serves 8

You will need:

200g dried chickpeas 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large clove of garlic, crushed or grated 3 stalks celery, finely chopped 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into ½cm dice 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons toasted and ground cumin 1 teaspoon harissa, plus more for serving 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes, chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 350g red lentils 4 large tablespoons chopped parsley 4 large tablespoons chopped coriander Juice of 2 lemons

1

Soak the dried chickpeas in plenty of cold water for at least 5 hours, or overnight.

2

Drain the chickpeas and set them aside.

3

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium to high heat, and saute the onion, the garlic, the celery, and the carrots until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

4

Add the turmeric, the cumin, the harissa , the salt, the pepper, the tomatoes, the sugar, the soaked and drained chickpeas, and the stock, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, then add the lentils. Continue simmering until the chickpeas and lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes more.

5

Tip in the chopped parsley and coriander and stir in the lemon juice and allow the harira to sit, off the heat, for 10 minutes for the flavours to mingle.

6

Taste for seasoning and reheat to serve with a drizzle of harissa and olive oil.