Moroccan Lamb Soup with Butternut and Chickpeas

By Claudine Noppe

Yes. It’s getting to be that time of year. Where the leaves are falling from trees, it gets harder to wake up in the mornings and you start hiding your summer body under the much needed layer of wobbly protection. The time of year that makes you want to wear fluffy socks, drink fancy red wine and cuddle with a loved one on a couch. If you’re perpetually single (like me) you need to replace the warmth of another person with food during winter. What better than a steaming bowl of soup that warms not only the body, but the soul?

I have to be honest here: I’ll eat any soup any time. If I miss my mom or feel the slightest bit sick, I’ll make soup, even if it’s 29 °C outside. Next to pasta and cake it is the ultimate comfort food! Soup can be ridiculously easy to make while being incredibly tasty. You can make it with as few or as many ingredients you like and it will still be good. It can be healthy or indulgent, packed with flavour or subtle. Soup is truly the denim of food world. It just works with everything!

This Moroccan lamb soup has the added bonus of taking 10 minutes to prepare and then just bubbling away for hours, while making your house smell amazing. If something I going to bring the boys to my yard, it is this soup, not my milkshake. The Moroccan spice mix makes the whole soup very fragrant without making it spicy. While the apricot and orange juice adds a much needed sweetness, the tender lamb subtly enhances and complements all the bold Moroccan spices and flavours. Make my Moroccan lamb soup this winter to warm your soul, and those of your loved ones.

Click here for the printable recipe.

·         500 g lamb knuckle

·         500 g roughly chopped butternut

·         1 tin chopped tomatoes

·         1 tin chickpeas (drained)

·         1 large red onion (roughly chopped)

·         2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

·         Juice and zest of half an orange

·         15 ml beef stock powder

·         30 g dried apricot (finely chopped)

For the spice mix:

·         5 ml ground cumin

·         5 ml ground cinnamon

·         5 ml turmeric

·         5 ml paprika

·         2.5 ml ground ginger

·         2.5 ml ground coriander

·         1.25 ml dried mint

To serve:

·         Plain yogurt

·         Fresh mint and coriander

·         Crispy chickpeas

Method:

1. In a large pot on a high heat, brown the lamb on each side. The more colour on the lamb the more flavour your soup will have. Salt the lamb on both sides while frying.

2. Remove the browned lamb from the pot and add the onions to the lamb fat that rendered. Fry until slightly translucent.

3. Add the spice mix, garlic, orange juice and zest and fry for 30 seconds to activate the dry spices.

4. Add in the butternut, tinned tomatoes, apricots and stock powder. Fill the tomato tin with water and add to the pot. Keep adding water until the ingredients are well covered. I added about 3 tins.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about two hours.

6. Remove the lamb from the soup and set aside to cool slightly. While the lamb is cooling, use a stick blender to puree the soup. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you desire. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

7. When the lamb has cooled enough to be able to touch it, remove the lamb from the bone and tear into small pieces. Add the shredded lamb and the chickpeas back into the soup and leave to simmer for another 15 to 30 minutes.

8. Serve the soup hot, with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of fresh herbs and some crispy chickpeas for texture.