After sunset during Ramadan, the daily fast customarily ends by eating dates. Then the Iftar meal begins with some kind of soup, satisfying hunger and quenching thirst at the same time.
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North African lamb, chickpea and bulgur soup
Start to finish: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ras el hanout (see story)
4 teaspoons dried mint
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
12 ounces ground lamb
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
1 celery stalk, including leaves if present, finely chopped
6 medium garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
15 ½-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¾ cup coarse bulgur
2 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together the ras el hanout, mint, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the lamb and 3 tablespoons water, then mix with your hands until well combined; set aside.
In a large pot over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the scallion whites, the celery, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until the paste is well browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are completely coated with tomato paste, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add 6 cups water, scraping up any browned bits. Cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high, then stir in the bulgur. Using your fingers, break off grape-sized chunks of the lamb mixture, dropping them into the pot as you go. Stir, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium, and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until the bulgur is tender and the meatballs are no longer pink at the center, about 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in the scallion greens and the tomatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
