Harira

Eastside Road, January 28, 2016—

ANOTHER ONE-DISH dinner involving chickpeas — garbanzos, as we called them when I was a boy. I loved them then, and I do still.

This one has Moroccan leanings, but makes me think of the American Southwest as well. It involves — beyond the dried chickpeas — lentils, vegetable or chicken stock, a can of tomatoes, some broken dry pasta, a chopped onion, cilantro, parsley, and a ribbon celery finely chopped; and it’s flavored additionally with butter, turmeric, black pepper, and cinnamon. It was delicious tonight, and I bet it’ll be even better tomorrow.

Green salad, of course; a bit of chocolate for dessert.

Laya: Garnacha tintonera 70%, Monastrell 30%, old vines (Almansa), 2013