Raleigh has had pretty gross weather all week long -- cool and rainy -- so a thick stew seemed like the perfect thing, and this one fit the bill exactly; lentils, chickpeas, beef, and lots and lots of spices.
Start the recipe in the usual way, sautéing onion (both large, chopped ones as well as tiny whole ones) in olive oil with some salt. Add in the diced meat and cook, then add chickpeas, pepper, saffron, ginger, and a cinnamon stick.
Simmer with water and chicken stock until everything is cooked and tender.
A note about chickpeas: I normally buy the dried bag and soak them overnight. Fresh Market for some reason doesn't sell them like this, so I had to buy the canned kind in liquid, which I was wary about. What do you guys think -- which is better to use?
In a separate pan, cook a thick paste of chopped parsley, cilantro, and celery along with olive oil. Stir in tomatoes and lentils and some of the boiling water from the meat mixture. Spice it up with tomato concentrate, cumin, and a healthy dose of dried chili.
Finally, just combine the two contents of the two pots and cook them together for a bit, then serve.
This is incredible thick, which Matt and I both really liked. Also spicy, yum. I definitely enjoyed my leftovers.
And unfortunately, Fresh Market didn't give me my receipt, so no price update for this one.
Oh I love Harira! This version sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThis looks lovely! I MUCH prefer buying dried chickpeas and soaking and cooking them (pressure cooker), it is cheaper and tastes nicer. But I quite understand the convenience of tinned ones.
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