February 03, 2014

Make the perfect soup NOW (from Isa Does It)


I have a tendency to collect cookbooks. Maybe I should say I 'amass' cookbooks, instead of 'collect'. I mean, I'm not a cookbook hoarder or anything, but I do find them a little irresistible. The problem is I seldom use them, though I think about them a lot. Recently, I wrote a review of Isa Does It where I mentioned that I could hardly keep my hands off the book, which could just mean that I look at it a lot but don't use it, but no, it doesn't. Both my husband and I use it constantly. And we really like the results.


This past weekend my husband made a large pot of harira, which was fabulous. We loved it, and I think you will, too. Harira is a traditional Moroccon tomato, chickpea and lentil soup that is frequently served to break the fast at sunset during Ramadan. It’s fragrant with spicy ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, as well as fresh herbs like celery, cilantro, parsley and onion.

Isa also adds angel hair pasta to her recipe — cooking it right in the soup — which makes it a filling, complete meal. So, do you own a copy of Isa Does It, yet? You should, you know. But if you don't, lucky for you I found the recipe online in a review on The Taste Space. Go there and get the goods because this is a soup you want to make.


I also recommend making wild rice soup with browned seitan strips. OK, so I used soycurls instead of seitan, but I seasoned them extravagantly, and browned them well in my wok, and they tasted fantastic with the soup.


One other little thing I did was to use half wild rice and half white Basmati, and I took Isa up on her invitation to add more veggies. I threw in a boatload of shredded savoy cabbage. Delicious! Sorry I can't be more useful and provide you with a recipe link, but just get a copy of the book. You won't be sorry.

23 comments:

  1. Thank you for the link to the recipe--I can't wait to try it after hearing your description! I too love cookbooks, but I am trying to resist the pull to get Isa Dos It and cook out of the ones I have...I think I will see if the library has Isa Does It to check it out first.

    Courtney

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    1. You're welcome. Honestly, Isa Does It is turning into one of our most-used cookbooks.

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  2. I am so hooked on hot noodle bowls lately, and lentils and chickpeas together make this perfect happy comfort food! You're right...I must get this cookbook! :)

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    1. "Put a noodle in it" might be my theme song. And, yes, I recommend the book highly.

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  3. Funny, I had this book by my bed to browse through and it ended up getting pushed underneath so I forgot about it until last night when I decided to make the Harira! (I ended up having a very busy day and didn't have time to make the soup, but it's definitely next on the list.) All the soups from Isa Does It look fantastic. And yes, so easy to add ingredients as desired.

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    1. PS I love the bowl in the first photo of the wild rice + soy curl soup! So pretty.

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    2. I'll be looking for a photo of the harira on your blog. It's so good! All the bowls in the photos are the same — glass bowls from IKEA.

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  4. I know what you mean about cookbooks - I have too many already, but I can't resist the urge to add one more! Looks like this one wouldn't be a bad buy though - I love the sounds of seitan and wild rice.

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    1. I think if you just can't resist adding a cookbook to your collection, you can't go wrong with this one!

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  5. Thanks for the shout-out to my review. The harira was fabulous. I should pull the cookbook again and find more to cook. There was a peanut butter tofu and kale dish that I remember wanting to try, still. :)

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    1. You're welcome. I was so happy to find the recipe on your blog because I hadn't asked for permission to print it. (Your photos were great, by the way.) We actually had the p-nut butter tofu and kale last night and it was pretty good, but WAY too much sauce. We only used a small amount of the sauce and had a ton left left over.

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  6. So much recipe shaming today! You and Vegansaurus: who will be next?

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    1. I'll have to go see what you mean. Haven't had time to look at blogs yet — doing childcare today but it's nap-time. Yay!

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  7. Both of these sound really good to me, especially the wild rice soup. It's always great when a cookbook pays off!

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    1. I loved both of the soups, but the standout for me was the harira. I received a free review copy of the book but I was so impressed that I bought several copies for gifts. It's a great book.

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  8. I just started browsing thru the cookbook and couldn't decide what to make first. Looks like it should be soup - both of those look awesome. :-)

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    1. You can't go wrong with either of these two, but don't overlook the sweet potato and red curry! It was so good we've already made it three times!

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  9. I love noodle soups! I think I once made Harira from a middle eastern cookbook and I really loved it.

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    1. I thought it was amazing tasting — so filling, too. I'm going to make it for company next weekend.

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  10. I have devoured Isa Does It and have been meaning to try out the harira forever! I must try it soon, upon your recommendation.

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    1. Yes, try it right away. You won't be sorry!

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  11. I've been waiting to make that harira soup! I must make it now. I've tried a few soups from Isa Does It and everything has been amazing.

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    1. I think you'll find the harira amazing, too!

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