Tunisian Soup Recipes

TUNISIAN SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in couscous; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in water, zucchini, potato, green beans, carrots, tomato puree, coriander, chile powder, cumin, and salt; bring to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in milk.

LABLABI (TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP) FROM 'THE HEART OF THE PLATE'

Steps:

• Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then transfer them to a soup pot, large saucepan, or Dutch oven, along with the water and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the chickpeas are completely tender, an hour or longer. (You want to err on the soft side.)
• Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat for about a minute, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cumin, and cook, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the onion becomes soft. Add the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 10 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.
• When the chickpeas are very tender, add the onion-garlic mixture, scraping in as much as you can of whatever adhered to the pan. Collect the remaining parts (this is flavor!) by adding the lemon juice to the skillet and stirring it around, scraping the sides and bottom (deglazing), then pouring all of this onto the chickpeas as well. Taste to adjust the salt (you will likely want to add up to another 1/2 teaspoon) and grind in a generous amount of black pepper to taste. At this point, if you choose, you can puree some of the chickpeas with an immersion blender.
• Cover and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so before serving.
• Optional Enhancements: A few strands of saffron added to the cooking water in step 1 A spoonful of harissa Touches of torn fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or mint Crushed red pepper A poached or fried egg added to each serving A drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (or a citrus-spiked olive oil) Cooked diced carrot mixed in A spoonful of thick yogurt on top A sprinkling of capers on top A spoonful or two of cooked brown basmati rice or couscous stirred in Chopped, pitted olives on top-or a bowl of assorted olives on the side Crisp, cold radishes on the side-whole or sliced Chopped or slivered Marcona almonds Sliced ripe tomatoes on the side

TUNISIAN AROMATIC FISH SOUP WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Combine first 9 ingredients in large pot. Add 1/3 cup cilantro and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes. Add fish and olive oil and simmer until fish is cooked, about 10 minutes. Using back of spoon, break up fish into smaller pieces. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve.

LABLABI (TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP)

Steps:

• Combine stock, chickpeas, harissa, cumin, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce temperature, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Divide bread, chopped parsley, cilantro, and capers between 4 soup bowls. Scoop an egg from the shell into each bowl, pour soup on top, and drizzle with olive oil.