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The Fair Trade Cook Book

Harira (Vegetable Soup)

This full flavour vegetable soup includes chickpeas for texture, and is a national and traditional soup of Morocco. Variations may be found in Algeria, Tunisia, etc.
Whilst this is a vegan / vegetarian dish it could include beef, lamb or chicken pieces, but never pork.
Quantities below produce a substantial main course dish for 4 people.

Ingredients

200 gm dry weight	chickpeas
2 medium	white onions
1	leek
3 medium	carrots
2 sticks	celery
5 ml (1 tsp)	ground coriander
5 ml (1 tsp)	FAIRTRADE turmeric
5 ml (1 tsp)	FAIRTRADE cinnamon
2 ml	ground chilli pepper
1 litre	vegetable stock
30 ml	tomato puree
1 medium	waxy potato
150 gm	Traidcraft FAIRTRADE pasta
15 ml (1 tbsp)	Zaytoun FAIRTRADE Palestinian olive oil
to taste	salt
to taste	FAIRTRADE freshly ground black pepper
30 ml	FAIRTRADE lemon juice
FAIRTRADE	Sources Lemons Olive Oil Herbs and Spices Couscous Pasta Rice Pulses Crafts pestle

Method

Notes

This is a fairly quick soup, so we have included pasta with the vegetables, rather than the more traditional couscous cooked in the steam above the vegetables.

Preparation

Soak (overnight) and cook the chickpeas (see chickpea basics).

Prepare the carrots, onions (chop medium), carrots, celery and leeks (chop all 1 cm), in the usual way.
Peel the potato(es) and chop to 2 cm chunks.
If you have coriander seeds, grind using a pestle and mortar.
Mix the stock and the tomato puree.

Cooking

Warm the oil and gently fry (=sweat) the onions, carrots, leek and celery for about 5 minutes until the onions start to go translucent.
Add the turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and chilli powders and stir fry for 2 minutes until everything is coated and aromatic.
Add the stock mixture and bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer.
Add the chopped potatoes.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chickpeas (plus cooking liquid), pasta, and return to simmer.
Simmer until the pasta is cooked (about 12 minutes) and "toothsome". Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. and add the lemon juice.

To serve

Serve hot with harissa and crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Variations

Vary quantities of veggies according to the numbers eating.
Fresh pepper, de-seeded and chopped could be substitutes for the ground chilli pepper.
Other related recipes include: