Recipe

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea And Lentil Soup Recipe

	Darbar / All my dishes 1 year, 3 months ago Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and saffron infuse each spoonful of this savory soup — a hearty combination of lentils, chickpeas, fennel, onions and tomatoes. Pick up the spice profile with a dollop of Charmoula, a Mor... More Prep:20m Cook:60m Servings:8	Darbar
	soup meditteranean moroccan vegan vegetarian chickpea cumin ginger turmeric saffron gluten free garbanzo lentils cilantro charmoula

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 fennel bulb, peeled, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of saffron threads (optional)

2 cans (14 ounces each) chopped tomatoes with their juice

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sugar or to taste

4 cups gluten-free low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup dried lentils (green, brown, red or yellow), picked through and rinsed

3 cups canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

4 sprigs cilantro

4 sprigs parsley

2 dried bay leaves

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

CHARMOULA

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon, plus zest

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined

1 bunch cilantro

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Directions

For the Charmoula

Mix the garlic, cumin, four tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon juice and jalapeño in a food processor. Pick cilantro leaves from their stems. Add the lemon zest and cilantro and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pulse mixture a couple of times, scraping mixture down from side of the bowl in between pulses. Add the remaining olive oil if needed. The mixture should resemble a rustic pesto. Place in tightly closed container and refrigerate for up to two days.

For the Soup

In a medium sized pot (about 4 quart capacity) with a lid, heat the olive oil at medium heat and add fennel, gently cooking for a couple of minutes while the fennel releases its natural juices.

Add the red and white onions, cook until soft and translucent, but without turning brown, stirring mixture from time to time, about 12 minutes.

Add tomatoes and increase heat to high until the mixture comes to a simmer (about 5 minutes). Add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic and saffron if using, letting them infuse the mixture with their flavors for a few more minutes.

Add the lentils, vegetable stock, sprigs of cilantro and parsley and bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Season with salt, pepper and sugar, stirring the mixture a couple of times. Cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add the cooked chickpeas and cook uncovered for another 5 to 7 minutes until heated through. Mix well, season again with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Remove bay leafs and sprigs of cilantro and parsley.

For a thicker soup, remove about one cup of the cooked lentils and chickpeas from the soup and process them in blender, adding some extra liquid if needed. Add the blended mixture back to the soup.

For a thinner soup. add extra vegetable stock.

Serve hot with 1 tablespoon of Charmoula sauce on the top of the soup, if desired.

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