Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Moroccan vegetable soup simmers lamb (or beef) stew meat with turnips, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and saffron, finished with zucchini, angel hair pasta, and fresh herbs.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
88 minMoroccan vegetable soup is a simplified, everyday cousin of the feast-day soup harira. It builds slowly and layers flavors the way Moroccan home cooks do: turmeric and onion get stirred together and coat the stew meat before anything else goes in, which blooms the spice and deepens the color into a golden broth.
Cubes of lamb or beef simmer first with the stock, diced tomatoes, turnips, carrots, celery, and a pinch of saffron. A bundle of fresh parsley and cilantro stems tied together with kitchen string steeps in the pot like a bouquet garni, then gets pulled out at the end so the herbs perfume the broth without leaving stems behind.
Zucchini and broken angel hair pasta come in last so they stay tender, not mushy. Finished with a shower of fresh parsley and cilantro leaves, it is a warming, full-bodied soup that eats like a one-pot dinner.
Chef Tips
- Bloom the turmeric in hot oil with the onion before adding meat. Raw turmeric tastes dusty and medicinal; bloomed, it turns earthy and warm.
- Tie the herb stems with kitchen string, not cheesecloth. String makes it easy to fish out at the end, and the loose stems release more flavor than bundled.
- Break the angel hair into small pieces before adding. Whole strands tangle and hog all the broth on one spoonful.
- Taste before adding salt. If you used beef broth, it may already be plenty salty; if water, you will need the full teaspoon and then some.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add onion and turmeric; stir to coat.
Add meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add broth (or water), tomatoes and their juice, turnips, carrots, celery and saffron.
Tie parsley and cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil.
Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
Stir in zucchini and cook, covered, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add pasta and cook until soft, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta.
Discard the parsley and cilantro sprigs.
Season with salt (start with 1 teaspoon if you’re using beef broth; add more if you’re using water) and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with parsley and/or cilantro leaves, if desired.
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