Lamb And Chickpea Soup With Lentils - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 quarts water
1 lbs tomatoes, coarsely chopped or (28 ounce) can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, chopped,juices reserved
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely grated
1 lb boneless leg of lamb, well-trimmed,cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup brown lentils or 1/2 cup green lentil (3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup rice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
pita bread, for serving

Preparation

In a large, heavy pot, combine the water, tomatoes, onion, lamb, chickpeas, lentils, olive oil, tomato paste and cumin.
Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the rice and simmer for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of the soup into the flour.
Whisk the slurry into the soup and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes longer.
Stir in the parsley and cilantro.
Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve.
Serve with warm pita bread if desired.
The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.