This Week’s Tiffin

Harira with Smoked Paprika & Crispy Onions

A Moroccan stew of lentils, chickpeas, and tomatoes, finished with smoked paprika and a spoonful of crisp onion bits, perfect for long winter evenings. Warm, nourishing, gluten-free & vegetarian-friendly.

Peasant Bread

A rustic loaf with a soft crumb, made for dipping into generous bowls of broth.
(+ gluten-free skillet bread alternative)

Citrus–Herb Compound Butter

To complement your peasant bread, just a pat of butter mixed with citrus and herbs.

Citrus & Fennel Salad

Bright citrus segments with shaved fennel, black pepper, and olive oil. To balance the warmth of the soup.

Dark Chocolate • Date • Almond • Cardamom • Cayenne

A tiny handmade treat — dark chocolate swirled with chopped dates, toasted almonds, a whisper of cardamom, and a bit of heat.
(Allergy note: contains nuts)

The Story

Harira is a traditional iconic soup from Morocco and one of my favorite thing to cook and eat. The first time I came across this recipe it struck me as oddly familiar. Lentils, chickpeas and lamb, hmmm, but the spice combination, well the similarities to Indian and Pakistani foods I’ve eaten in the past, they were all there. I knew, it would be satisfying and delicious.

That’s the funny thing about spices, they show up in different combinations in foods all over the world and the first time you taste something it’s not necessarily the first time. You’ve been down that road before and your taste buds remember.

This is the soup that is served to break the fast during Ramadan, because they know it will not only meet the nutritional needs but it is also easy to digest, and it quickly restores the energy after a long day of fasting.

Every region has their own version and as with all foods every kitchen is different.

The history of Harira is long, layered in history, and tied to community, a reminder of how simple ingredients become sacred and carry centuries of tradition that connects us to each other.

The recipe I use here honors Morocco’s long history of trade and agricultural exchange, right here in this ancient soup that brings together flavors that arrived from the New World.

Memory

Most citrus originated in Asia, but the Caribbean holds an abundance of citrus carried there during the massive transfer of plants and animals between the Old and New Worlds. In wintry New England citrus is like a bowl of sunshine holding us together till summer.

Spice Lore

Spanish monks in the Yuste Monastery were the first to dry peppers in smokehouses, preserving them and imparting a deep, smoky, woody flavor.

Smoked paprika was once prized for more than flavor; it was carried across mountain paths as a way to preserve food — and perhaps even warmth itself.

Notes from the Kitchen

In every bowl of soup, there is the ghost of a kitchen from years ago, a memory that’s stirred by scent and flavor.

May your bowl always be big enough to share.