During the month long observance of Ramadan, devout Muslims are asked to go without eating anything substantial from sunup to sundown. Harira is a soup that is traditionally served to break the fast after sundown in Morocco. Although harira is most often prepared with lamb or chicken, a mighty savory version can also be prepared without meat.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　1 cup dried chickpeas

　　8 cups water

　　3 tomatoes, diced

　　1/4 cup chopped celery leaves

　　1 onion, finely diced

　　6 whole cloves

　　1-inch piece cinnamon stick

　　1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

　　1 teaspoon cumin seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

　　1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

　　1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　Salt to taste

　　1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

　　

Step 1

Throughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water, tomatoes, celery leaves, and onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.

　　

Step 2

In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, saffron, and red pepper flakes to a powder. Add the ground turmeric.

　　

Step 3

Add the spices to the soup 1 to 2 hours before serving. (If you plan to be gone all day, you can add all the ingredients at the start. However, the spices will be just a bit more pungent if you hold off adding them until the chickpeas have cooked for a while.)

　　

Step 4

Just before serving, stir in the olive oil, parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and serve, topping each serving with a dollop of yogurt.

　　

Suggested Beverage

Step 5

Consumption of alcohol is generally not encouraged by Muslim religious practices, so it’s probably best to leave this one to your imagination or taste.

　　Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker