Magical Marrakech and a bowl of Harira

Magical Marrakech

Shake me, wake me…. Is this real?  Ah yes, I’m here in Morocco, one of my favorite places on earth!  I'm leading a small group on a Culinary Journey in Marrakech and before their arrival, I went to visit my friend Abdoul at his home in the old medina or center of town.  Imagine this….

As the door to his home opened, exotic music, incense and the light of a thousand candles, poured into the alley.  Inside, the central courtyard opened to the clear night sky and the gentle breeze stirred the date, palm and olive trees that grew towards the night stars and the nearly full moon above.  A fountain, the centerpiece of the courtyard, trickled with water.  Rose petals floated in the pool.   Low tapestry pillows were spread around low brass tables on the intricate mosaic floors.  It was here for the next several hours my friend Abdoul, his family and I shared a traditional Moroccan feast.

A bowl of the richest, most delicious peppery soup called harira, a minestrone‑like soup served with lemon wedges and fresh dates, is the typical dish served to begin the meal.

Harira has a long history whose roots come from the Berbers, indigenous North Africans from the mountains and deserts.  It’s eaten throughout the year, but especially

during Ramadan, a period of atonement and forgiveness when fasting is done during daylight hours.  When the bells chime to announce sundown, silence is heard in every Moroccan village as the families gather at the table and break their month‑long daytime fast with a big bowl of harira.  

Abdoul's Harira was incredible.  I could easily get used to this tradition!

Try it yourself:

HARIRA

1/2 cup dry chick peas

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds small lamb cubes, trimmed of all fat

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 ½ cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pulverized saffron threads

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup dried lentils

1/2 cup spaghetti, broken into small pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

8 lemon wedges

Pick over the chick peas and discard any stones.  Cover with water and soak for 4

hours or overnight.   

In a large heavy soup pot over medium high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the lamb in a

single layer in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides,

10 to 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  Add the onions and celery and cook until the

onions and celery are soft, 12 minutes. 

Puree the tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, turmeric, saffron and 1 teaspoon black

pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Add the tomato mixture and the

lamb to the onions and celery.  Add 6 cups of water, the lentil and chick peas and bring

to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered 2 hours until meat and chick

peas are very tender.

Thirty minutes before serving, add the beaten egg and stir briskly until it makes

strands.  Add 2 cups water and the pasta and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.  

Season with salt and pepper.

Increase the heat to medium high.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Blend the flour with 1 cup

water and add the mixture to the soup pot, mixing vigorously.  Simmer slowly 5

minutes.  Add cilantro, parsley and lemon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve each bowl garnished with lemon wedges.

Serves 8 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

P.S.  Ready to make a Moroccan feast?  Try these recipes that Chef Bahija of Jnane Tamsna and I created, too:

Moroccan Chicken with Tomato Marmalade

Briouats (Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Shrimp and Scallops)

A Woman's Best Friend

A Woman's Best Friend

My favorite person on the planet (and the creator of the best Chocolate Cake in the whole world) just got a dog.

Her name is Molly.  She's an 8 1/2 week old Cockapoo and quite adorable, don't you think?  My mom could not be happier (well, maybe once the puppy is house-broken...she says it's like having a baby again!).

Take a peek at the Puppy Cam:

 Let's make some cake to celebrate!  

Click here for the recipe.

Bean Obsessed

My mother is obsessed with beans.  That’s probably where I caught the bug!  When I was a kid she prided herself making soups with beans.  And when I say beans, she liked to use as many kinds as possible.  The more the variety the better, and if she could get up to 5 or 6 different types, she was in bean heaven.  This is no joke!  Our kitchen cabinets were filled with chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, black eye, Great Northern and kidney beans.

My Mom’s name is Jean and one Christmas I found the perfect gift for her.  It was a cookbook called “Jean’s Beans.”  Imagine the joy in my heart as I handed her a tome dedicated to the food closest to her heart.  She cooked from that book for months- from the front cover to the back- using all of the beans that crowded her cabinets. 

As you can imagine, beans were an early fixture on our kitchen table growing up.  When all the other kids grumbled at the thought of eating a lima bean, I thought beans were the way to go!  In the summer, Mom was making succotash with freshly shucked Butter Beans and Sugar Corn from her garden.  

Needless to say, I too love beans, especially during the summer when we get fresh shelling beans.  At the farmer’s market in the last week or so, I’ve been seeing lots of cranberry beans (a.k.a. Barlotti beans in Italy), limas and French butter beans.  

Fresh shelling beans are much easier to cook than dry beans.  There’s no soaking!  All you have to do is put the shelled beans in a saucepan with plenty of water and simmer until tender.  In most cases, they’re done in about 20 minutes. 

One of my favorite ways to eat them is simply warmed with your best virgin olive oil and kosher salt.  Or if you’re feeling ambitious, you might also want to pay tribute to my Mom and make this delicious Summer Succotash Salad...

   

Erin Kunkel Photography

SUMMER SUCCOTASH SALAD

3 ears fresh sweet corn on the cob, halved

1 cup fesh shelling beans 

Kosher salt

1 pound green string and/or yellow wax beans, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 medium red bell pepper, ½-inch dice

1 medium zucchini, ½-inch dice

½ red onion, ½-inch dice

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons torn basil leaves

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.  Add the corn and simmer, until the kernels turn slightly darker yellow, 5 to 6 minutes.  With tongs, remove the corn from the water and let cool.  Cut the kernels of corn off the cob.  Discard the cobs and reserve the kernels.  

Bring the saucepan of water to a boil again.  Add the fresh shelling beans and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and cool.  

Bring the same saucepan of water to a boil.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and simmer the string or wax beans and simmer until almost tender but still very crisp, about 4 minutes.  Add the zucchini and simmer 2 additional minutes.  Drain and cool.   

Place the shelling beans, string beans, corn, peppers, zucchini and red onion in a large bowl. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and canola oil.   Season with salt and pepper.  Add the dressing and basil to the bean and corn mixture and stir together.  Place the salad in a large serving bowl and serve.

Serves 6

Recipe from:  

Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence, Dinner Made Simple (Taunton Press, 2012)