Dolce Dente

When I lived in NYC I loved visiting Mike Bergen’s soup cart in the shadow of the Metlife building , especially for this amazing vegetarian Moroccan chickpea and root vegetable soup topped with a fresh herb chermoula topping . I later found out he used chicken stock so I simply took the liberty of switching to vegetable stock.

2 tbs olive oil

3 cups diced onions

2 cloves garlic , minced

1 inch piece ginger , peeled and finely minced

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

pinch of saffron

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cups  1/2 inch diced carrots

5 cups vegetable stock

1 cup 1/2 inch diced turnips

2 cups 1/2 inch diced parsnips

2 cups 1/2 inch diced sweet potatoes

1 cup 1/2 inch diced celery root

16 oz canned chickpeas drained and rinsed

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a soup pot . Add the onions , garlic , ginger and salt , sauteing until onions are translucent. Add the red pepper flakes , saffron , cinnamon , thyme and pepper , sauteing for 1 minute . Add carrots and stock . Bring to a boil and simmer until almost tender ,about 15 to 20 minutes . Add remaining root vegetables , and simmer for another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender . Stir in chickpeas and tomatoes; return to a boil . Season to taste with salt and pepper , thinning with more stock if necessary . Serve with a spoon of Chermoula on top .

CHARMOULA

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped parsley

5 cloves garlic , minced

1 tbs paprika

1 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and black pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl .

Filed under: Middle eastern, Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged: Charmoula, Middle eastern soup, Mike Bergen of Mike's curbside, Mike's curbside, Moroccan chickpea and root vegetable soup with charmoula, Moroccan style vegetarian soup, Vegetarian soup | Leave a Comment »