Lentil Me Your Ears: Moroccan Leftover Soup

My soup this week was an exploration in soup history and culinary cultures. As far as the history side of things, soup has been around a long time; in fact, since prehistoric times. Originally it was meant as a way to extract extra nutrients from limited resources and easily provide for numerous people in a simple, quick fashion. As humanity evolved, it stuck around for these same reasons, and in terms of conserving resources, it has been a wonderful tool during recessions to make those ingredients that may go bad in a few days and make them stretch.

With payday not until Thursday, and some unexpected expenses come up at home, I was in a pinch. Unsure what to make for soup club this week, and on quite a budget, I had to get creative. I had some leftover produce, such as potatoes, onions, & carrots. Some of which I knew if I did not use this week, would likely get tossed to compost for our garden. I had some coconut milk from when I made a thai curry earlier that week, and an eggplant leftover from making Zaalouk for my fiancé and I (another excellent Moroccan dish). And then it hit me… I can make some type of Moroccan soup! Now one of the most famously known is Moroccan lentil soup, which I decided to use as a base.

Traditionally, this soup is fairly simple: broth, lentils, onion, and a smaller spice list including cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, & pepper. That being said, we go back to soups history, and I decided to make it a little more nutrient dense adding some extra produce, and add in some other flavor inspired by North African cuisine. Something that has always really interested me was the spices you often find in North African & Middle Eastern cuisine, specifically the use of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, and Cardamom. All spices we traditionally associate with sweets as Americans, but are used in everyday foods such as Palestinian Arayes, a common street food found throughout Egypt, Palestine, and much of the Middle East. So I decided to incorporate this into the soup’s flavor profile, which while faint, adds a very interesting depth to the soup itself.

All things considered, it paid off. Eagerly Jeff, Kevin, and Tam gathered around the crockpot, eyes glazed over as they went to ladle a scoop or two (or 4) into their soup bowls, Kevin even housed a couple of pieces of a cinnamon bread my fiancé made while we wait (which I can't blame him… we have half a loaf at home because I housed several pieces when it was fresh out the oven). We topped our soups and sat down, blowing away the heat and dying for the first bite.

There was a pregnant pause as everyone savored the first few bites, nods of approval, and a few “man…”’s as the other members stewed over their potential ratings. Fun conversation ensued, comparisons to my prior entries, as well as me excitedly sharing my plans for the future when our Gete Okosomin finally come in in the winter (it’s a native squash to the Midwest!). Finally, the part we all have been waiting for: the rankings. The official ones atleast. Kevin started with an 8.7, Jeff agreed, Andy came in with an 8.2 (I wont hold it against you… for that long), and Tam with an 8.9. Impressive marks all around, giving an average soup’r rating of 8.62.

While we have a recess for the next few weeks will be a long, daunting road ahead, we will persevere and one day taste the glorious taste of soup’r club soup over a conference room table, and engage in brothy camaraderie once more.