One of the most interesting things that has happened while I’ve been working on Recession Recipes is connecting with old friends and new friends who are as obsessed with food as I am. I love getting emails from them telling me what they are currently enjoying to eat or getting family recipes.
A very old friend Britney, who I met at my first ever job at a party store in Texas circa 1993, sent me this recipe for Moroccan Spiced Chickpea and Lentil Soup saying that I had to try it. I like lentil soups, although canned ones are usually rather bland, so I was excited to try this new soup.
It got two thumbs up from both Carlo and I. It was hearty and full of flavour from all of the dried spices, plus the Moroccan condiment charmoula added a nice shot of colour and brightness to the soup. This soup recipes makes enough for 8 big bowls of soup at 97 cents per serving.
If you have any incredible recipes that you want to share, please send them my way!
Moroccan Spiced Chickpea and Lentil Soup
Soup:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried lentils (green, brown, red or yellow), picked through and rinsed
4 sprigs cilantro
4 sprigs parsley
2 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, about 2 cans
Charmoula:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil up in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the fennel and let it gently cook for a few minutes until it releases its natural juices. Throw in the red and white onions and cook until they are translucent, around 10 to 12 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their liquid and turn the heat up to high until it begins to simmer. Then add all of the spices to the soup base and let everything simmer together for a few more minutes.
Add the broth, lentils, cilantro and parsley sprigs, and bay leaves to the soup base and bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Mix in the sugar, salt, and pepper, then cover the pot and let everything simmer for another 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add the chickpeas and cook the soup, uncovered, for another 5 or so minutes, until all the ingredients are properly heated through. Remove and throw away the bay leaves, cilantro, and parsley. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make a chunkier soup, I took a couple cups of the soup and threw them in a blender until everything was pureed and then I returned the puree to the soup and mixed it in well.
The Moroccan condiment charmoula adds a nice freshness to the cooked soup and can easily be made by mixing the olive oil, cumin, garlic, jalapenos, and lemon juice in a food processor to make a puree. Throw in a bunch of cilantro leaves along with the lemon zest, and salt and pepper, and whiz until the mixture looks like a rustic pepper. If you need to thin it out, add a little bit of extra oil. You can keep the charmoula in a tightly closed container in the fridge for up to few days.
Serve the soup hot, with 1 tablespoon of the charmoula mixed in. The soup keeps for a few days in the fridge and makes great leftovers. We didn’t freeze any this time, but I think it should hold up well in the freezer too.
Even though my local grocery doesn’t carry fennel, this dish was delicious! The charmoula was a total surprise. 10/10
Amazing. Super duper yummy. I didn’t put any sugar in because it seemed pretty sweet already. And no parsley either. With the charmoula, it was outstanding.
Excellent site. Lots of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you in your sweat!