Lamb and Bean Soup
1/2 cup dried chick-peas (garbanzo beans)
salt
9 cups water
3 tablespooons white rice
3 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb lamb, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups pureed canned plum (Roma) tomatoes, or 1 1/2 lb peeled,
seeded and
chopped fresh plum tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, or to taste
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Place the chick-peas in a bowl with water to cover generously.
Refrigerate overnight. Drain and rinse well.
Transfer the chick-peas to a 1 qt saucepan and add 3 cups of the
water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer
until cooked through but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Remove
from heat and salt lightly. Drain the chick-peas, reserving the
cooking liquid. You will have about 1 1/2 cups chick-peas. Set the
chick-peas and liquid aside.
Pour another 3 cups water into a 3 qt saucepan and bring to the
boil. Add the lentils and rice, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add
flour-water paste, stirring in well.
While the lentils are simmering, in a large saute pan over high
heat, melt the margarine with the oil. Add the lamb and brown well
on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, ginger,
cinnamon and turmeric and saute for a
few minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups water and simmer, uncovered,
over low
heat for 30 minutes.
Add the meat-onion mixture, drained chick-peas, tomatoes, parsley
and cilantro to the lentils and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt to
taste and the pepper; the soup should be peppery. If it seems too
thick, thin it with a little of the reserved cooking liquid. Remove
the soup from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Stir into
the soup.
Serve at once.
Serves 6.
Joyce Goldstein's Mediterranean the Beautiful Cookbook |