The Evening Is for Soup

In the early evening, sirens wail throughout Casablanca, signaling the official end of daytime--and the day’s fasting. Within minutes, an eerie calm replaces the city’s usual cacophony of thundering trucks, honking taxis and sputtering mopeds. Almost everyone is home, savoring a steaming bowl of harira, the hearty cinnamon- and saffron-scented soup with which Morocco’s Muslims traditionally break the daily fast during the month of Ramadan.

This year, Ramadan began Dec. 9 and ends Jan. 7, a perfect time for making soup. Even here in Southern California, an infrequent spell of dreary winter weather will find me instinctively rummaging through the kitchen cupboards for my battered aluminum soup pot (qedra) to make up a batch of harira.

In Morocco, harira is part of the first course of the traditional Ramadan supper, accompanied with hard-boiled eggs, sweet Medjool dates and coiled honey pastries called shebbakiyah.

Like most Moroccan specialties, harira has many variations. The basic ingredients, however, include lamb (or beef), tomatoes, onions and legumes such as dried fava beans, garbanzo beans and lentils--all simmered in a broth redolent of cinnamon, saffron, cilantro and ground ginger.

Sometimes cooks thicken the soup just before serving by adding leavened dough that has been mixed with boiling broth. Others create a similar effect by stirring in a lightly beaten egg or two. From time to time, I make a vegetarian version with wheat berries, which add a light, nutty flavor and a chewy texture to the soup.

Harira is not only for Ramadan. Moroccan farmers often start their day with a nutritious bowl of harira and a piece of freshly baked bread. It’s also a Moroccan “fast food,” sold from carts in every marketplace. Inside the walled medinas, the oldest section of the cities, veiled women sit behind their qedras of harira simmering on earthenware charcoal braziers. Passersby pay a few pennies for a bowl and hurriedly consume it standing or at rickety wooden crates that serve as tables.

Harira is by no means the only great soup in Morocco’s repertoire. Loubia, the North African counterpart to American chili, is second to harira in popularity.

Like harira, loubia doesn’t like to be hurried. For both soups, a slow cooker is ideal. Slow cooking enhances the tenderness of the white beans, which are seasoned with garlic, cilantro, sweet paprika and a dash of fiery cayenne.

I serve loubia with a saucer of ground cumin on the side, to be added to taste. My Algerian friends, on the other hand, prefer a piquant mixture of finely minced garlic, parsley, and chiles for garnishing their loubia.

For a lighter soup, there’s shorba, the Moroccan soupe du jour. Its composition is bound only by the seasons and the cook’s imagination.

When I make shorba, I am inspired by whatever odd assortment of orphan vegetables I find in the refrigerator crisper--an onion or two, a lonely carrot, a forgotten potato, a piece of winter squash or crisp fennel bulb, a turnip. They all find their way into my qedra of simmering broth, along with generous amounts of fresh cilantro and other seasonings.

Whether serving harira, loubia or shorba, Moroccan housewives always have round, crusty loaves of homemade bread on hand. What could be more comforting on a chilly evening than to go home to a kitchen infused with the aromas of freshly baked bread and simmering soup?

Morse’s eighth book, “Couscous: Fresh and Flavorful Contemporary Recipes,” will be published in March by Chronicle Books.

Harira

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 15 minutes plus 1 hour 30 minutes soaking

Substitute orzo or the tiny soup pasta called acini di pepe for the crushed vermicelli, if you prefer. From “Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen” (Chronicle Books, 1998).

1 cup (1/2 pound) whole dried fava beans

Water

1 bay leaf, optional

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, minced

2 pounds lamb shoulder chops, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 threads Spanish saffron, crushed

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground ginger

10 to 12 tomatoes, peeled and seeded (about 3 pounds)

30 parsley sprigs

15 cilantro sprigs

1 cup lentils, soaked for 1 hour in cold water and drained

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt

1/2 cup crushed vermicelli, orzo or acini di pepe

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Lemon wedges, for serving

* Rinse and pick over fava beans, then soak overnight in water to cover. To quick-soak: Place beans in large soup pot and add 10 cups hot water and 1 bay leaf. Bring water to a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and soak beans for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The older the beans, the longer they will take to cook. Squeeze each fava bean between your thumb and forefinger to remove skin. Set beans aside.

* In large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat oil and fry onions and meat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

* Add saffron, turmeric, ginger and 8 cups water. Cover and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add fava beans and cook, covered, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on age of beans.

* Coarsely chop together tomatoes, parsley and cilantro sprigs. Add tomato mixture, lentils, pepper, cinnamon and salt to taste. Cover and cook until lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

* Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for pasta. Add pasta and cook until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and stir into soup. Taste and add salt to taste and adjust pepper. When soup is heated through, ladle harira into individual soup bowls. Top with chopped cilantro and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

8 servings. Each serving: 318 calories; 404 mg sodium; 45 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 2.58 gram fiber.

Vegetarian Harira

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours * Vegetarian

From “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa” (Chronicle Books, 1996). Look for whole wheat berries at health food stores and natural markets.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

20 sprigs cilantro

20 sprigs Italian parsley

8 threads Spanish saffron, lightly toasted

1/2 cup whole wheat berries

6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)

Juice of 2 lemons (optional)

Cilantro leaves

Lemon wedges

Crusty bread

* Heat oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat. Fry onions, stirring occasionally, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

* Meanwhile, blend tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cilantro, parsley and saffron in blender. Add to onions, cover and bring to rolling boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium, add wheat berries and broth and cover tightly. Cook until wheat berries are fairly tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.)

* Add lentils and garbanzo beans with liquid. Cover and cook until lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

* Ten minutes before serving, lower heat to simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, beat egg with lemon juice in small bowl and add to soup, stirring with long wooden spoon until mixture forms strands. Ladle harira into individual soup bowls. Top with cilantro and serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

8 servings. Each serving: 268 calories; 1,203 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 2.94 grams fiber.

Loubia

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours plus 8 hours soaking

2 cups dried navy beans, soaked in water overnight and drained

8 cups water

2 bay leaves

3 onions

4 cloves

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bone from a leg of lamb or 1 pound lamb bones

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 2 pounds); or 2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

20 sprigs cilantro

30 sprigs parsley

3 to 4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Chopped onion, for garnish

Chopped green olives, for garnish

Bread, for serving

* Place drained navy beans, water, bay leaves, 1 onion studded with all 4 cloves, garlic and lamb bones in soup pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until beans are fairly soft, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard onion.

* Dice remaining onions. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add to cooked beans, along with 1/2 tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, paprika and cayenne.

* In blender or food processor, puree remaining 1/2 tomatoes with cilantro and parsley sprigs. Add to beans and cook over low heat, covered, until beans are tender and broth acquires full-bodied flavor, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

* Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with cilantro, chopped onion and olives. Serve with warm bread.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 267 calories; 1,052 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 4.50 grams fiber.

Shorba of Vegetables

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

From “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa” (Chronicle Books, 1996).

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1 pound beef or lamb stew meat, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika

8 sprigs cilantro, tied with cotton string

12 sprigs parsley, tied with cotton string

2 stalks celery with leaves finely chopped

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)

3 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice

5 cups water

10 threads Spanish saffron, crushed

1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup crushed vermicelli

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Chopped parsley or cilantro leaves, for garnish

* Heat oil in large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat and fry onion, meat and paprika, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 4 to 5 minutes.

* Add cilantro, parsley, celery, tomatoes, potato, carrots and water. Bring to boil over high heat. Add saffron. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until meat is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

* Add zucchini, lentils and vermicelli. Continue cooking, covered, until lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard cilantro and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

* Ladle soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve immediately.

6 servings. Each serving: 242 calories; 853 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 2.10 grams fiber.

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Revelations

The month of Ramadan celebrates the first revelation of the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad. Throughout the month, Muslims everywhere must refrain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset.

Ramadan’s observance is based on the lunar rather than the Gregorian calendar. For this reason, the dates of its celebration vary. This year, it began in the second week of December and ends the first week of January. The next Ramadan begins around Thanksgiving of the year 2000. Having two Ramadans in one year happens only once every 30-odd years.

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Bowls on cover from Bristol Kitchen stores.

Bowl, platter and tea pot in photo above from Plantation, Los Angeles and Pine Street 1 and 2, Los Angeles and Studio City.