Moroccan Lamb Soup with Chickpeas with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the lamb on all sides. Remove to a plate.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
2. 2
   Add the onion and carrot to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and ginger and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.

   Stove

   💡Paprika burns quickly and turns bitter: half a minute in the oil is enough, then move straight on to the next step.
5. 5
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
6. 6
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
7. 7
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
8. 8
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
9. 9
   Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
10. 10
    Return the lamb to the pot and season with salt and black pepper.
11. 11
    Turn down to low, cover and simmer 1½ hours, until the lamb soft.

    StoveLid
12. 12
    Add the chickpeas and cook another 15 minutes, until the chickpeas heat through.

    Stove
13. 13
    Serve with the cilantro and preserved lemon.