#chorba

This hearty and spicy Chorba, a thick North African soup, makes a deliciously comforting dinner on a cold night. Happy Tuesday!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 large carrots

1 large onion

1/3 Garden Chilli Pepper 

a small garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons Ras-el-Hanout

1 teaspoon harissa

100 grams/3.5 ounces tinned chickpeas

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 large, ripe Marmande Tomatoes 

3 cups water

1 tablespoon demerara sugar

1/3 cup alphabet pasta

a few sprigs Garden Cilantro 

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add cumin seeds, and fry, 1 minute.

Peel and slice carrots, and stir them into the pot.

Peel and finely chop onion, and stir into the pot. Fry, a couple of minutes, until softening.

Thinly slice Chilli Pepper, and stir into the pot, along with minced garlic. Cook, 1 minute more.

Season with Ras-el-Hanout, and fry, a couple of minutes.

Then, stir in harissa, and cook out, 1 minute.

Thoroughly rinse tinned chickpeas under cold water, and drain well. Stir them into the pot.

Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.

Roughly chop Marmande Tomatoes and stir them, along with their juice into the pot, along with the water. Bring to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer, at least 20 minutes, until carrots are tender.

Before serving, increase heat back to medium-high, and stir in demerara sugar and alphabet pasta. Cover with the lid, and cook, 10 minutes more.

Finely chop Garden Cilantro, and stir into the pot.

Soup Saturday - Chorba beida

Chorba beïda is a rich and nourishing Algerian white chicken soup that's traditionally prepared for Ramadan. It's usually made with a combination of chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, butter, cinnamon, chickpeas, and seasonings. The chicken pieces are first browned and the vegetables are cooked until they soften.

Spicy, generous and flavourful, this heart-warming Beef Chorba is exactly the more-ish bowl of sou you need at the end of a chill and rainy day! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

2 tablespoons olive oil

455 grams/1 pound beef cheek

1 large onion

1/3 red hot chili pepper

a small garlic clove, minced

2 medium carrots

1 large aubergine, rinsed

1 1/2 teaspoon Ras-el-Hanout

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon harissa

1 heaped teaspoon tomato paste

1 large cinnamon stick

100 grams/3.5 ounces tinned chickpeas

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

4 Whole Peeled Tomatoes + ½ cup of their juice

1 1/2 litre/6 cups water

1 tablespoon demerara sugar

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup egg noodles

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Cut beef cheek into large chunks and add to the pot. Brown well, a couple of minutes on each side.

Peel and finely chop onion, and stir into the pot. Fry, a couple of minutes, until softening.

Thinly slice chili pepper, and stir into the pot, along with minced garlic. Cook, 1 minute more.

Peel and slice carrots, and stir them into the pot.

Cube aubergine, and add to the pot as well, stirring to coat in fat and beef juices.

Season with Ras-el-Hanout and smoked paprika, and fry, a couple of minutes.

Then, stir in harissa and tomato paste, and cook out, 1 minute. Add cinnamon stick.

Thoroughly rinse tinned chickpeas under cold water, and drain well. Stir them into the pot.

Season with coarse sea salt and black pepper.

Roughly chop Whole Peeled Tomatoes and stir them, along with their juice into the pot, along with the water. Bring to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer, at least 2 hours (the longer, the better).

Before serving, increase heat back to medium-high, and stir in demerara sugar, frozen peas and egg noodles. Cover with the lid, and cook, 10 minutes more.