Fast satisfaction for the famished

Bean soups are a popular post-Yom Kippur meal for Moroccan Jews.

By FAYE LEVY
chicken soup 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
chicken soup 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
For the dinner that follows the Yom Kippur fast, a meal-in-a-bowl is perfect. You don't want a dish that requires fussing with various components, garnishes and sauces. The best pick is comfort food that's satisfying and simple to serve. People who are famished want to be satisfied fast. This is probably why Jews from Morocco favor harira, a wholesome, substantial soup of meat and beans, usually chickpeas and lentils. The first time I sampled this whole-meal soup, the beans, chunky vegetables and fresh herbs reminded me of two soups from across the Mediterranean: Italian minestrone and pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean soup). Both minestrone and pasta e fagioli are popular in the Italian Jewish kitchen for a variety of occasions, not necessarily for breaking the Yom Kippur fast. But they fit the bill beautifully. Like harira, minestrone and pasta e fagioli can be made with meat or chicken. Like the Italian soups, harira often includes noodles or rice. To make harira, Viviane and Nina Moryoussef, authors of La Cuisine Juive Marocaine, a book on Moroccan Jewish cooking, utilize three kinds of legumes - chickpeas, lentils and dried fava beans - and cook them with meat cubes, sauteed onions, tomatoes, celery, fresh coriander, saffron and lemon juice. Fine noodles provide a finishing touch. A Moroccan-born relative of my husband, Dvorah Cohen, departs from tradition and makes her harira meatless. She browns onions, carrot, celery and zucchini in olive oil, combines them with cooked chickpeas and lentils, and then adds tomato sauce, turmeric, cumin, fresh coriander and sometimes rice. Edda Servi Machlin, author of Classic Italian Jewish Cooking, makes meat minestrone from cooked beef shanks and a popular Italian flavoring trio - onions, carrots and celery sautéed in olive oil. Then she adds more vegetables - potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, peas and tomatoes - and seasons the soup with cloves and hot red pepper. Last she cooks thin noodles in the savory soup. Machlin's recipe for lentil and meatball soup includes the same vegetable trio, as well as tomato sauce, garlic and parsley. Her meatless rice minestrone with white beans is hearty but not heavy, thanks to a colorful selection of vegetables - broccoli, zucchini, carrots and sautéed onions - and a lively accent of sage and garlic. In Wizo's La Cucina Nella Tradizione Ebraica, another book on Italian Jewish cooking, there's a beef and chickpea soup with a sweet touch - cubes of pumpkin and a sprinkling of cinnamon. A pasta and bean soup from Venice features small meat balls, the Italian sautéed vegetable trio and broad noodles, and is enriched with a drizzle of olive oil. Which bean soup to choose depends on the flavors favored by your family. Some might love a lemony Moroccan-style soup seasoned with turmeric and fresh coriander; other might opt for the Italian tastes of fresh basil or sage, and a hint of sweetness lent by carrots. Either way, the result will be filling and full of flavor. CHICKEN HARIRA Serve this soup with lemon wedges to squeeze into each portion, and with halla or pita for dipping in the flavorful broth. 2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil 450 to 500 gr. boneless chicken, preferably dark meat, cut in cubes 1 onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped fine 4 large garlic cloves, chopped fine 1⁄2 tsp. turmeric salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 1 cup lentils, sorted carefully, rinsed and drained a 400- to 425-gr. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or a 400-gr. can tomatoes, drained and diced 3⁄4 to 1 cup cooked fine noodles 2 to 4 Tbsp. coarsely chopped coriander Lemon juice to taste Spread lentils on a plate, pick through them carefully, rinse and drain them. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add chicken. Brown lightly for 2 or 3 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Add onion and celery and sauté for 7 minutes or until onion is light golden. Return chicken to pan and add garlic, turmeric and pepper. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes. If soup is too thick, add about 1 cup boiling water. Cook 15 minutes more or until chicken and lentils are tender. Add noodles and half the cilantro and heat through. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining cilantro. Makes 4 to 6 servings. MEATY MINESTRONE WITH RICE For a vegetarian version, omit the meat and increase the amount of beans to 1 cup; if you like, serve this meatless version with grated Parmesan cheese. If you're making the soup ahead, add the basil after reheating it, or serve it separately. 3⁄4 cup dried white beans, sorted and rinsed About 12 cups water 2 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 large onions, chopped 2 stalks celery, cut in thin slices 1 carrot, peeled and diced 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 450 gr. ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or a 400-gr. can tomatoes, drained and chopped 500 gr. beef for stew, cut in small cubes 1 large potato, peeled and diced (optional) 1 cup green beans, cut in thirds Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 small summer squash (kishu) (about 450 gr.), cut in cubes 11⁄2 cups cooked rice 1⁄2 cup frozen peas 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil Put beans and beef in a large saucepan with 6 cups water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Transfer beans, beef and cooking liquid to a large bowl. Dry saucepan. Heat oil in the saucepan. Add onion, and sauté over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add celery and carrots and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Add beef, beans and cooking liquid from bowl, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper potato, green beans and enough water to cover and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Add potatoes, green beans and zucchini and simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Add peas and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender. Add rice and heat through. Off heat, stir in basil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Makes 6 main-course servings. Faye Levy is the author of Feast from the Mideast.