ATLAS MOUNTAIN SOUP

Atlas Mountain Soup image

I just had to share this with you all! This soup, which is more like a stew, is sustaining enough to make a complete meal if accompanied by some good, crusty bread. The meat, combined with spices and with a tang of lemon and apricots, has the flavor of North Africa.

Provided by rua

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes

Time 3h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

¾ cup chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 pound ground lamb
4 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 lemon
1 ¼ cups water
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt and black pepper to taste

Steps:

Soak the apricots in water for 2 hours or more until soft; drain.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and paprika; cook and stir for 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium-high, crumble in the ground lamb, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until browned. Stir in the drained apricots, celery, green pepper, and tomato.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave 5 - 6 strips of rind off the lemon and add to the soup with the juice of the lemon. Stir in the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for half an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 404.7 calories, Carbohydrate 31.3 g, Cholesterol 75.9 mg, Fat 23.1 g, Fiber 6.8 g, Protein 22.6 g, SaturatedFat 7.4 g, Sodium 110.4 mg, Sugar 20.9 g