Bissara - Moroccan Legume Soup

     Guess what time of the month it is!! That's right, it's time for Eat the World! This month we spent the month in the kitchen in Morocco and it was delicious! I love Moroccan food, but ti wasn't anything that I was familiar with until a few years ago when I moved to a city that had a restaurant, and we tried it out. And of course, there was the ensuing recreation of dishes. While there we started with zaalouk, then had pastilla and tagine. While I was looking up those recipes I ran across an amazing recipe for oranges and carrots that we absolutely love around here, the orange blossom water make it magical.  

     As stated above, Moroccan food is unsurprisingly amazing. I had a friend come back from an actual trip, not just a culinary one, and she asked if I knew what they had on the table for every meal the same as we have salt and pepper. And that isn't surprising based on the recipes I have tried so far, cumin makes frequent appearances. This particular recipe has cumin of course but also has a base of garlic and onions, which every good recipe should have. The rest is a bit of broth and board beans that are simmered until tasty and then pureed into a nice silken, creamy, consistency. It can be eaten as a soup or double or triple the beans for a much thicker dish and serve with bread to dip. 

     Broad beans are the proper bean to use, and dried broad beans are fairly easy to find. If you can't though or are in a hurry, then frozen lima beans are fairly similar, and were delicious. Other options are fava beans or dried green split peas. 

     Check out all the wonderful Moroccan dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla : Briwat Bil Kefta + Other Moroccan-Inspired Bites 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Keto Moroccan Whole Oven Roasted Chicken 
• Sugarlovespices: Moroccan vegetable stew with butternut squash and chickpeas 
• Palatable Pastime: Moroccan Roasted Cauliflower with Sesame 
• Kitchen Frau: Grated Carrot Salad with Oranges
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Harira
• CulturEatz: Chicken Bastilla
• Magical Ingredients: Spicy Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Bissara Soup Recipe

1 (12 oz) bag lima beans

4 c. vegetable broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves, garlic

2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. black peppers

1/4 tsp. Aleppo pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the cumin and onion and saute until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. 

Add the lima beans, broth, paprika, and Aleppo pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the cilantro and return to the heat and heat through. 

Serve topped with olive oil and a sprinkle of Aleppo and fresh cilantro. 

Check out Previous Eat The World Contributions from Africa and the Middle East

• Malta  - Soppa al Armla
• Libya - Sharba Libiya - Libyan Mint and Lamb Soup
• Blog Swap - Israeli Eggplant Salad
• Reunion Island - Sausage Rougail and Zembrocal Rice
• Lesotho - Butha Buthe - Spinach Tangerine Soup
• Sudan - Kamounia
• Senegal - Poulet Yassa
• Egypt - Ful Medames
• Israel - Chicken Shawarma
• Ethiopia - Misir Wot
• Kenya - Nyama Choma