Harira: my new comfort food of love.
Tonight's food experiment is harira: a Moroccan lentil and lamb stew traditionally eaten to break the fast at Ramadan. I had it for the first time at Toro Bravo, one of Portland's best restaurants, and it was a knockout even among the superlative dishes we had. I was determined to attempt it before I forgot what it tastes like.
The instructions, cobbled together out of two recipes:
1. Melt two tablespoons of butter or oil in a large pan, then saute a chopped onion, two diced celery sticks, a quarter-cup each of chopped cilantro and parsley, and a teaspoon of turmeric. Stir frequently.
2. After the onions are getting translucent, add three-quarters of a cup of crushed or pureed tomatoes, half a cup of lentils, a half-pound of ground lamb*, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of powdered ginger, and a generous pinch of saffron, and saute for a couple more minutes while stirring.
3. Add 6-8 cups of water or broth (quantity depending on the thickness you want at the end), a cinnamon stick, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are soft.
4. Add a cup of orzo or broken angel hair pasta, a can of garbanzo beans, and return to a moderate boil until the noodles are cooked. (You'll need to stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.) Return to a simmer.
5. Stir a couple tablespoons of flour into enough water to form the consistency of light cream, then add slowly to the stew until it reaches the thickness that you'd like best.
6. Stir the juice from half a lemon together with an egg, then stir both rapidly into the stew. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with yogurt and/or more chopped cilantro if desired.
The recipe claims this will serve 6-8, but as hearty as it is, you're going to have leftovers.
* You can also use cubed lamb stew meat -- if you do, add the lamb right at the beginning with the onions, but take care not to brown the meat. Beef, turkey, and chicken are all options, as (I assume) is omitting the meat entirely to make it vegetarian. However, unless you're really too broke to afford it: don't skip the saffron. It adds a wonderful sweetness. Personally, if I had to skip it, I'd probably add a bit of cloves in its place.
The instructions, cobbled together out of two recipes:
1. Melt two tablespoons of butter or oil in a large pan, then saute a chopped onion, two diced celery sticks, a quarter-cup each of chopped cilantro and parsley, and a teaspoon of turmeric. Stir frequently.
2. After the onions are getting translucent, add three-quarters of a cup of crushed or pureed tomatoes, half a cup of lentils, a half-pound of ground lamb*, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of powdered ginger, and a generous pinch of saffron, and saute for a couple more minutes while stirring.
3. Add 6-8 cups of water or broth (quantity depending on the thickness you want at the end), a cinnamon stick, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are soft.
4. Add a cup of orzo or broken angel hair pasta, a can of garbanzo beans, and return to a moderate boil until the noodles are cooked. (You'll need to stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.) Return to a simmer.
5. Stir a couple tablespoons of flour into enough water to form the consistency of light cream, then add slowly to the stew until it reaches the thickness that you'd like best.
6. Stir the juice from half a lemon together with an egg, then stir both rapidly into the stew. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with yogurt and/or more chopped cilantro if desired.
The recipe claims this will serve 6-8, but as hearty as it is, you're going to have leftovers.
* You can also use cubed lamb stew meat -- if you do, add the lamb right at the beginning with the onions, but take care not to brown the meat. Beef, turkey, and chicken are all options, as (I assume) is omitting the meat entirely to make it vegetarian. However, unless you're really too broke to afford it: don't skip the saffron. It adds a wonderful sweetness. Personally, if I had to skip it, I'd probably add a bit of cloves in its place.