This weather is killing me. I refuse to recognize the wet drizzle, hail(!), and snow. Yes, I'm the one admiring the cherry blossoms in capri pants and a light sweater--shivering. A hopeful tourist who packed the wrong clothes? Nope, a stubborn Washingtonian who already packed away her winter jacket, has only linty black tights remaining, refuses to buy new ones, and expects pretty flowers to mean good weather.
There is no way I'm wearing North Face again this season. No way.
But I will give way to a pot of hot soup. This recipe is from Cuisine at Home. The bold ingredients caught my eye, plus I couldn't resist the "promise of traveling to an exotic land without leaving your kitchen or renewing your passport." (I love absurdly bad copy).
All snarky comments aside, this soup is brimming with flavor (like a trip to North Africa!), and the lemon-apricot couscous made sure it was a satisfying meal, perfect for these hard, cold days of spring in Washington. I made one slight change to the recipe. I used dry beans instead of canned beans.
My only critique is that the canned artichoke hearts didn't add much flavor. Which brings me to a million dollar question that I'm hoping someone out there can answer. Are frozen artichokes better than canned ones? Say the word, and I'll make the switch.
Moroccan Chicken Soup
From Cuisine at Home
Ingredients
Saute in 2 tbs olive oil
2 cups onion, diced
2 tbs fresh ginger, minced
1 tbs garlic, minced
1 tsp each paprika and ground coriander
1/2 tsp each ground cumin, Cinnamon, and cardamom
1/4 tsp each ground turmeric, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes
Deglaze
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 pounds cooked chicken shredded
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1/4 kalamata olives, pitted, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
Minced fresh cilantro
toasted slivered almonds
Directions
Saute onion in oil in a large pot over medium heat until onion is soft, 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and seasonings, and cook one minute.
Deglaze with wine, reduce until nearly evaporated, then stir in broth, chicken, chickpeas, tomatoes, artichokes, and olives. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with Cilantro and almonds.
Lemon-Apricot Couscous
2 cups water
2 tbs honey
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
Minced zest of one lemon
Pinch of salt
1 cup dry instant couscous
1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
Directions
Bring water, honey, oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt to a boil in a saucepan.
Off heat, stir in couscous and apricots; cover and let stand until water is absorbed, about five minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
