Moroccan Lamb Soup

The other night I attempted a recipe from the cookbook 'Artichoke to Za'atar' by Greg and Lucy Malouf - 'North African Couscous Soup'. Great cookbook on Middle Eastern food by the way...

The first step is to soak chickpeas in water the night before starting the recipe. The following day, start by searing chunks of lamb stewing meat in olive oil. Remove and set aside. Sweat diced onion until soft, then add garlic (crushed with salt - use the side of your knife blade), cumin (toasted and ground) and coriander seed (also toasted and ground), a little allspice, chili powder and paprika. Saute for a couple of minutes, then return the lamb to the pan and add crushed tomatoes, a little honey and a jalapeno pepper (deseeded and shredded), followed by chicken broth, water and chickpeas. Simmer until the chickpeas are cooked through and the lamb is tender. When almost ready to serve, add couscous, stir and cover, and allow to sit a few minutes to cook through. Finish with plain yogurt, fresh parsley and mint, lemon juice and pita bread.

It didn't turn out perfectly. My chickpeas could have used a little longer, and the soup was a little gritty. I think this was due to the fact that I ground the seeds roughly with a mortar and pestle - they probably would have benefited from being put through a sieve (or from the use of an electric grinder, which I have yet to buy). I also was unable to find fresh mint at my local Weis supermarket, and so I added dried mint at the beginning of the simmer. Not as good but at least there was some mint flavor. The lamb came out very tender (I simmered for about an hour and a half) and the liquid had a nice flavor, although I would have liked more heat.

Note that soaking the chickpeas the night before is not strictly necessary. However, they will take a lot longer to cook if you do not do this. You can begin them in salted water (the notion that you should not cook beans in salted water because they will toughen is a myth, according to food science legend Harold McGee - see 'On Food and Cooking') at least an hour before starting the recipe.

Next time I think I would like to try this recipe as a stew, with less liquid, and served over the couscous instead.