Harira

Another culinary adventure inspired by the house of Rorsch & Semi (see also).

You will need:

• 500g of lamb


• Olive oil


• 2 chopped onions


• 4 cloves of crushed garlic


• 1.5 teaspoons of cumin & 2 teaspoons of paprika


• 1 bay leaf


• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree


• 1 cup of soup stock (Rorsch recommends VeCon if you can't be bothered making your own stock. I recommend Bovril.)


• 500g of washed, soaked and cooked chickpeas


• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes


• 3 tablespoons of fresh, chopped coriander


• 3 6 tablespoons of fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley


• Turkish bread

1. Saute onion and garlic until soft.
   


2. Add meat, and brown.
   


3. Add cumin, paprika & bayleaf, and cook "until the fragrance makes your eyes start to water".
   
   
   


4. Add tomato paste and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring continuously.
   
   
   


5. Add stock & chopped tomatoes, stir and bring to boil ("by now you should be able to feel the spice on the back of your pharynx").
   
   
   


6. Add chickpeas coriander and parsley.
   
   
   


7. Bring to boil.
   


8. Simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours or until lamb is tender.
   


9. Serve, garnished with extra coriander and parsley, and warm turkish bread.
   

Comments

[Semi-Functional]

The end result looks less soupish and more saucish. Cool.

We should be doing a succesful cooking webcast and trying to spawn a merchandising empire. It could be called 'Better Living Through Cutlery'.

[Adam]

One day Teigan, I'll teach you how to make The Hamish.

It's a drink, but it's awesome.

You'll like it.

[Adam]

p.s. I lvoe the words of Semi-Functional there.

"We should be doing a succesful cooking webcast."

Pure optimism.

[teigan]

Semi:
>The end result looks less soupish and more saucish.

It came out stewlike. I didn't add much water while simmering. I was distracted on the phone during that phase. Soup is for the birds, anyway. Tasted pretty good.

Adam:
>One day Teigan, I'll teach you how to make The Hamish.

What's it got in it?

>"We should be doing a succesful cooking webcast."
>
>Pure optimism.

Well we wouldn't be seen dead on an unsuccessful one.

Between my photographic 7k1||z and Semi's culinary expertise I find it hard to envisage how such a venture could fail, in any case. He can cook, i can hold a camera. Success is virtually guaranteed.

The merchandising idea sounds good too. I'm cleaning house this week and have found all kinds of useless crap lying around. I was going to throw most of it away. But given some desirable branding, it could all be turned to gold.

Jaye de Koan had a similar idea relating to my old printer (which could now be replaced with a comparable new one, for less than the cost of an ink cart): slap a Neurocam sticker on it, claim it was once NCI Global HQ's official printing device (which is true), put it on eBay... and watch the bids skyrocket!!!!

Or maybe I'll just stick it out the front and wait for some poor sucker to steal it.

That's usually what I do with stuff like that.

[Adam]

It's a girly cocktail with archers, smirnoff, orange, apple and passionfruint juice.

and ice.

[Semi-Functional]

That's rather dissapointing, Adam. I was expecting a Bovril-based cocktail. Beef is an under-utilised flavour in the world of alcohol, I feel and a niche-market ready for the taking.

[teigan]

I think it sounds nice. Send me instructions and I will make one.

A bovril-based cocktail would also be novel. Perhaps more of a winter thing, though. Which ever-so-very-sadly means it might have to wait until next year.

That said, I have most of a jar of bovril now which I'll probably never use otherwise. Hmm..