October 4, 2017
(last updated January 27, 2020) 
There aren’t too many things I love more than a giant, hearty pot of soup, especially at this time of year. When that soup is packed with fiber and nutrition, pantry-friendly, and boldly flavored, so much the better. All of those qualities apply to Celine Steen’s harira, which I’m so happy to be sharing today.
Celine Steen’s blog, Have Cake Will Travel, was one of the earliest vegan blogs I found. I was drawn in by Celine’s clearly written and scrupulously tested recipes, her knack for baking, and her commitment to the vegan lifestyle, which shone through her words.
Over the years, I’ve built up a steady collection of her cookbooks, some of which are co-authored, some of which aren’t: The Great Vegan Protein Book, The Great Vegan Grains Book, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, and Vegans Go Nuts. There are many, many more; Celine is a prolific author, and the range of books she’s written speaks to how thorough her knowledge of vegan cookery is. You can count on her recipes to work exactly as written, to boast user-friendly instructions, and to taste consistently excellent.
Another one of my favorite qualities of Celine’s food is that it’s bold, diverse, and globally inspired. The Great Vegan Grains book introduced me to a number of spice blends I hadn’t tried before, and Celine’s new book, Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking, follows suit.
Celine begins by noting that there are few worse scenarios for a home cook than serving bland food to friends; she also notes that vegan food has long been misperceived as dull and boring. “If only they knew,” she writes, “and now they can! Creating big, bold, exciting flavors for vegan and vegan-friendly cooks is what this book is all about.”
Celine makes good on that promise. The book is divided into four sections: savory (umami-rich), spicy, sweet, and staples. The chapter names are fairly self-explanatory, and the recipes are appropriately rich in seasoning. As someone who came to home cooking with a pretty timid palate—I didn’t grow up eating heavily seasoned or boldly flavored food, so it was very foreign to me for a long time—the book has been a particularly great and informative resource.
Some of my favorite recipes—or rather, the ones I’m most excited to make at home—include the smoky kale and chickpeas with miso peanut drizzle, the gochujang kimchi bowl, red chana dal mujaddara, and red curry scramble with lime-y broccoli. And those are just the savory ones: I’m also intrigued by Celine’s miso sweet cookies and peachy tamari creamy farina (what an unusual breakfast!).
In the meantime, I’m loving this spicy, thick, textured Harira, or Moroccan soup. The recipe is filed under spicy, and it certainly can be, but Celine invites readers to adjust the harissa paste to taste. I kept mine relatively mild, but there’s plenty of room to kick the flavor up further. The soup is brimming with vegetables and chickpeas; you can top it however you like, but I opted for chopped parsley and some of my savory cashew cream (vegan yogurt would also be lovely).
Celine Steen's Harira
Author -Yields: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp 23 ml grapeseed oil or olive oil
- 2 medium carrots trimmed, peeled and minced
- 1 medium red onion trimmed, peeled and chopped
- 4 ribs celery heart chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 ¼ cups 111 g chopped leek (I substituted white onion)
- 1 small jalapeño pepper trimmed, seeded and minced (optional)
- 8 oz 227 g chopped baby bella mushrooms
- 1 to 2 tbsp 20 to 40 g Harissa Paste, to taste
- 3 tbsp 49 g double-concentrated tomato paste
- 2 ½ tsp 5 g Ras el Hanout
- ½ tsp Tunisian Baharat
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp coarse kosher salt adjust to taste, especially if ras el hanout contains salt
- 1 vegan bouillon cube
- ½ cup 90 g dry red lentils
- 28 oz 794 g fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, with juice
- 28 oz 828 ml water
- 1 ½ cups 256 g cooked chickpeas
- 1 to 2 tbsp 15 to 30 ml lemon juice, to taste
- ½ cup 8 g fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- ½ cup 8 g fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- Dry roasted pine nuts for garnish
Instructions
- Place the oil, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, leek and jalapeño (if using) in a large pot. Heat on medium-high and cook for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook until their moisture is released, about 4 minutes. Stir frequently during the cooking process.
- Add the harissa paste, tomato paste, ras el hanout, baharat, ginger, turmeric, salt and broth powder. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Serve topped with fresh herbs and pine nuts. This stew tastes great served with pita and hummus, or try it with steamed potatoes. Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Celine's book includes recipes for homemade harissa paste, Ras el Hanout, and Tunisian Baharat, as well as a homemade Broth Mix that I replaced with bouillon (next time!). You can use the book to guide you through these homemade mixes, or use store-bought versions.
Celine suggests serving the soup with pita bread and hummus. As luck would have it, I’ve been on a homemade pita kick for the last month, and my freezer is now routinely stocked with puffy rounds. So far, I think pita is the best accompaniment for the soup—it’s intentionally a lot denser than others soups, so it begs for something to be scooped up with—but I plan to have some of the leftovers with couscous or rice, too. The recipe yields a lot, so it’s an excellent batch cooking option.
If you’re still figuring out the wide world of spice blends out there, or trying to create them from scratch, this book will walk you through everything you need to know. Beyond that, it’s a perfect resource for anyone who’s hoping to embolden his or her home cooking. I can’t wait to continue exploring it this fall, and in the meantime, I’d love to offer a copy to one of my US or Canadian readers. Enter below to win a copy! I’ll announce a winner in two weeks.
It’s another packed week here, so I’m happy to have plenty of Harira leftovers to get me through it. See you on Sunday!
xo
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Leave a Comment
Awesome.
I accidently hit the 4 stars button when submitting my comment if I was going to rate this recipe I would give it 5 stars
I use garlic and cinnamon the most I love cooking
Garlic or onion!
Hmmm, I love so many things but, I would go with ginger as it adds a bit of sweet, earthy and spice to a dish. Can be used in savory to sweet, grilled to baked.
Fresh cumin- I use it all the time. My friend brought me some back from Jordan and it is delightful!
Favorite spice is definitely cumin… almost everything is better with a bit of cumin IMO. And favorite herb is basil. O always have it in my garden every year
I’m a big garlic fan. I use it in everything.
I put cinnamon on everything!
Turmeric and ginger! I can never get enough of that combo.
I have been using curry powder a lot lately.
Hard to choose a favorite! I will have to say basil, but that’s probably because we just finished summer where our basil plant supplies me with as much basil as I want!
Choosing a favorite is too hard but I do love to use cumin! I think it has such a warm, nutty taste.
I love cinnamon and nutmeg, especially in combination. I also use “herbs de provence” a lot to flavor mediterranean dishes…
I love to use nutmeg and cloves in unexpected places.
Love these flavors!
My favorite herb to use when I’m cooking is cilantro. I love the bright herby, almost citrusy flavor it brings to dishes. I also love cinnamon in sweet dishes like oatmeal, cookies, and sweet breads.
This book sounds so interesting and unlike what I’m used to, in a good way! Do you have a recipe for pita that is good? I’d love to make some.
Ash, I do! I may need to share it soon — I make it so often nowadays that it’s becoming a staple.
When I want smokey and a bit hot, I choose ground chipotle.
turmeric, cardamom, cilantro are some of my most used
I’m not a vegan but am close to someone who is so I wanted to look further into it and practice some delicious dishes for when I next see my friend. I’m glad to find your blog and have also followed Celine as well. Thanks!
Most used spice is cinnamon. Most used herb is oregano. Usually not in the same dish though!
Cumin is definitely my favorite spice, but smoked paprika comes at a very close second.
Thank you for hosting this giveaway, Gena!
I absolutely cannot cook a savory dish without garlic. It’s a must, regardless of what the recipe says. And if the recipe does include garlic, I always double or sometimes even triple the amount. Yup, I’m one of those neighbors whose dinner the whole apartment building can smell :).
love using Corriander.. and my fave spice is Cumin
I would choose spice!!!
Also I accidentally submitted the pinterest follow before I was done typing. But I did follow!
Yum! This looks like such a cozy bowl for this time of year.
My favorite spice to use in cooking in probably homemade garam masala. Also, cumin and sage are winners depending on the cuisine.
Cinnamon for baking and rosemary for savory dishes.
This recipe as well as the book (all of her books!) sound so wonderful Gena. I’m still so new to how to blend spices to get different results in my dishes, and this is inspiring me to keep trying ;). Thanks for sharing this cozy recipe and inspiring me as always.
I love fresh dill
Batch cooking ideas are SO welcome!! Thank you for sharing.. 🙂
Cilantro, cilantro, cilantro!!!
Am I lazy if I say Mrs. Dash? It’s my go to. =)
probably thyme
It’s hard to pick, but nooch if that counts! Otherwise paprika.
I love Berebe!!
I think I pick out cumin most often.
I want nutritional yeast to count, because I dump that stuff on EVERYTHING! Otherwise, dried red chili flakes!
Trying this tonight!
I love Celine’s books! I’ve made the Smoky Kale and Chickpeas a couple of times (it was on the blog tour), and the family loves it.
I’ve been dying to play around with new spice blends ever since I spotted a recipe for ras el hanout on another food blog. Would love to check this book out!
I probably use red pepper flakes the most, but plenty of ginger for my stir-frys as well!
This looks so perfect, appetizing and comforting. I wholeheartedly agree with your first words ‘There aren’t too many things I love more than a giant, hearty pot of soup, especially at this time of year. ‘ (:
I’m also a huge fan of Celine’s books, I almost like them as much as Isa Chandra’s books, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give!
Thanks for sharing your views on this new cookbook, I’ve put it on my (ever-growing) wishlist and I’ll make sure to try this recipe.
Can’t wait to make this!! Looks amazing! And homemade pita too! Have to get on that one to serve with this!
Smoked paprika is a new favorite.
Oooh yum! Now I really need the book so I can make this whole recipe from scratch 🙂
I put Turmeric in everything!