The harira is a famous Moroccan soup, most probably of Berber origin and it is a very good meal for cold winter days. There are many different ways to make H'rira from simple vegetarian to elaborate one with meat cubes and S'men (s'men is salt butter somthing like Indian Ghee).

1 cup of check peas/garbanzo beans (hummus)
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of dried peeled fava beans/ broad beans (ful)
1 1/2 cup of white flour
1/2 cup oil
1/2 rice
1/2 cup vermicelli
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 28 oz. can of plum tomatoes peeled. Muir Glen preferred.
1 large to medium large onion
1 bunch of fresh cilantro. In arabic kusbur.
1 bunch (small) of parsley
1 or two sticks of celery
1 1/2 litres of water. Add water as needed
1/2 tea spoon black pepper
1/2 tea spoon of cumin
1/2 tea spoon of curcuma (kharqoum) yellow root that is used a lot in Indian cuisine. If you cannot find substitute turmeric
1 tbsp spoon salt
2 cloves of garlic.

Cut all the ingredients finely and put them into a large pot note that the check peas need to be soaked overnight to ensure their cooking well with the other ingredients. Save the vermicelli, the flour and the egg for the last stage.
Let boil for 40 minutes. When your check peas are cooked it's time to add the vermicelli and mix the flour in a bowl with warm water til it's liquid and there are no lumps in the bowl. Add some lemon juice and pour into the pot very slowly while stirring with a large spoon or any other wooden spoon.
You should have a thickish soup (it must not be too thick nor too watery, if it is too watery, you may want to add some flour) add the egg.

Harira Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped yellow root ("kharqoum")*
16 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
16 oz can large butter beans or lima beans, drained
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped & drained
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 1/4 cups water, divided
1/2 cup broken vermicelli
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a Dutch oven, put onion, celery, cilantro, parsley, garlic, yellow root, garbanzo beans, butter beans, tomatoes, lentils, rice, tomato paste, salt, pepper, cumin, and 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, on medium heat for 30 minutes. Add vermicelli and cook 5 minutes. In a small cup, mix flour with remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth. Stir into soup and cook 1 minute. Add lemon juice and serve.

Yellow root can be found at most ethnic-type farmers markets.

Moroccan Hirira

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz lean lamb, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
6 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup red lentils
salt to taste
red pepper
14 oz tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup vermicelli
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
lemon wedges, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the lamb until lightly and evenly browned. Stir in the onion and cook gently until softened. Add the chickpeas and water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chickpeas are almost tender. Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon and red pepper and simmer for a further 15 minutes, until the lentils and vermicelli are tender. Stir in the cilantro and seasoning. Serve with Lemon wedges.

Moroccan Carrot Soup

1 medium leek (white part only)
4 large carrots (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and minced
1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) vegetable broth plus water to equal 4 cups
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chermoula: 

3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice 

To prepare the soup: Trim the green end from the leek and discard. Split leek lengthwise and rinse well. Chop finely and set aside. Peel the carrot, split lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. 
In a 3 1/2-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute 4 minutes. Add the leek, garlic, ginger and about 2 tablespoons of the broth. Cook 4 minutes, until the onion and leeks have softened. 
Stir in the carrots, turmeric, cumin, paprika, salt and remaining broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 35 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft. Cool the soup 15 minutes. 
To prepare the chermoula: Combine the cilantro and garlic in a food processor or blender. Chop finely. Add cumin, paprika, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Scrape the sauce into a bowl and set aside. 
To finish the soup: Without washing the processor or blender, puree the soup in several batches until smooth. Put back into the pot to reheat. 
Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle a spoonful of the sauce over each serving, swirling into the soup, and serve. 

Moroccan Chick Pea Soup

2 tb Olive oil
2 x Carrots, grated
2 x Cloves Garlic, minced
1 x Med Onion, chop fine (1/2 c)
15 oz Can Chick Peas, rinse,drained
3 c Vegetable stock
1/3 c Tahini
2 tb Lemon juice
1 tb Chopped fresh parsley
3/4 ts Ground Cumin
1/2 ts Black pepper
1/2 ts Thyme leaves
1/4 ts Powdered tumeric
1/8 ts Cayenne pepper

Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, minced scallions, finely chopped tomatoes, or Herbed Garlic Croutons, optional In 4-5 qt saucepan, heat oil. Add carrots, garlic, and onion; cook until tender. Set aside. Menawhile, in food processor, puree chick peas, 1 cup of vegetable stock, tahini, and lemon juice. Stir pureed mixture into
saucepan. Add remaining ingredients including vegetable stock. Cover and cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Top with garnish if desired

Beet Soup with Cilantro Pesto

This recipe comes fom the personal chef for The Stone Temple Pilots. It is surprisingly good and has a Moroccan flair.

Beet Soup:
6 large fresh beets, scrubbed, tops removed
1 large onion
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 large chunk fresh ginger root, chopped
5 cups cranberry juice or enough juice to cover the
beets by 1 inch
Salt and pepper

Cilantro Pesto:
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream or plain yogurt
Salt and pepper

Place unpeeled beets in medium soup pot (beets may be halved if they are extra large). Chop onions, garlic, and ginger and add to beets. Pour cranberry juice over beets, cover pot and cook for 45 minutes or until beets are tender (if liquid reduces, add small amount of water). Puree soup in blender or food processor, add
salt and pepper, to taste. To prepare pesto, combine all ingredients and chill. To serve: Ladle the heated soup into bowls and gently swirl in a spoonful of chilled cilantro pesto (do not
stir in).