Thanks to emigrants from North Africa, Passover is once again being celebrated in the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which had a flourishing Jewish community until the fourteenth century. Now Jews reunite for the holidays, and at a recent Passover in one house, several couples got together for a traditional meal. Jocelyne Akoun, the hostess of this event, told me about a springtime soup filled with fresh vegetables and fava beans. Because I always have vegetarians at my own Seder, I have taken to making this refreshing and colorful soup as an alternative to my traditional matzo-ball chicken soup. If making the vegetarian version, sauté the onion in the oil in a large soup pot, then add 8 cups water, the bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook for about an hour. Then put through a sieve and continue as you would with the beef broth. Fresh fava beans are a sign of spring for Moroccan Jews, because the Jews supposedly ate fava beans, poor man’s meat, when they were slaves in Egypt.

　　

Ingredients

about 10 servings

　　1 pound beef shoulder (optional)

　　1 pound marrow bones (optional)

　　1 bay leaf

　　2 whole cloves

　　5 peppercorns

　　Salt to taste

　　2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　1 onion, diced

　　3 leeks, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced

　　3 carrots, peeled and diced

　　1 stalk celery, diced

　　2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 pounds)

　　2 turnips (about 1 pound), peeled and diced

　　1/2 small head of cabbage (8 ounces), shredded

　　1/2 tablespoon turmeric

　　Pinch of saffron

　　1 pound fresh or frozen fava beans, peeled

　　4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

　　

Step 1

If using meat, place the beef and bones in a large soup pot. Add the bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt, or to taste, and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

　　

Step 2

Remove the bones, pour the liquid through a sieve, and return the broth to a clean soup pot. Discard the bones, but save the marrow to eat—the cook’s treat! Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, and put back into the broth.

　　

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onion until translucent. Transfer to the broth (or the water for vegetarian version; see headnote). Add the leeks, carrots, celery, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage, stirring after each addition. Season with turmeric (about 1/2 tablespoon, or to taste) and saffron.

　　

Step 4

Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. Add the fava beans, and cook for 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

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