Moroccan Carrot Soup with lamb & freekeh

This is a perfect soup for Sundays! It’s an old recipe of mine that was inspired by a recipe of a Moroccan friend. She and her family always prepare this soup, also known as Harira, during the Ramadan. Well, I know it’s not the Ramadan, but on grayish days like today in The Hague, it’s a comforting dish. We might curl ourselves up on the couch tonight with this soup while listening to some music or watching a movie. I prepared the soup yesterday, because soup almost always tastes better the next day. Good with pita bread and hummus.

Serves 4
Action Time: 25 minutes + 1 hour and 30 minutes cooking time

2 onions, roughly chopped
14 oz/400 g carrots, sliced
a small bunch of parsley
a small bunch of cilantro
1 can of tomatoes (14 oz/ 400 g)
2 tbsp olive oil
500 g leg of lamb, in small cubes
a pinch of saffron
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
a pinch of cayenne
6 cups/1,5 l vegetable stock
125 g whole freekeh
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 can of chickpeas (14 oz/ 400 g), rinsed and drained

Extra: food processor

1. In a food processor, chop the onions together with the carrots, parsley and cilantro very finely. Add the tomatoes and process a couple of times until everything is well blended.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the lamb and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Add the saffron, cumin, ginger and cayenne, stirring, then add the carrot mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and mix in the freekeh. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 1 hour. Pour a few ladles of the soup into a bowl and beat in the flour until you see no more lumps. Add the flour mixture to the pan and let simmer for about 30 minutes until the soup has thickened. Stir regularly.

4. Add the chickpeas and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with lemon wedges and pita bread.

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