Meatless Harira (A Moroccan Soup) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
1 stalk celery & leaves, chopped
1 can chickpeas
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dried brown lentils
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons semolina or 3 tablespoons flour, mixed with
1/2 cup water
1 bouillon cube, preferably beef
salt
lemon wedge (to serve)

Preparation

In a large soup pot, saute the onion, parsley, celery, pepper and turmeric in the butter for a few minutes, then add the cinnamon and other spices.
Saute on very low heat for about 15 minutes or less, until the onions are soft and the spices are well-distributed.
Wash the lentils.
Puree the coriander leaves in a blender with a little water, or pound with a mortar and pestle.
Add both to the pot, along with the crushed tomatoes (I also like to puree the tomatoes in the blender before I add them, to eliminate any large chunks that might remain).
Cook for 15 minutes over low heat, and then add 1 1/2 quarts of water (about 7 cups).
Add the soup cube.
Cook on low/medium heat until the lentils are soft (I usually let the soup cook for about 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend).
A few minutes before serving, add salt to the soup (you could also add some vermicelli or other small soup noodle at this point, but I personally don't; if you do, make sure to allow an extra few minutes for the noodles to cook).
Add the flour and water mixture; mix well to prevent lumps from forming.
Serve with lemon wedges on the side, to be squeezed over the soup.