Tunisian Soup With Chard And Egg Noodles

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I found this at epicurious who got it from gourmet. The north african hot sauce called harissa lends this soup its beautiful brick-red color, as well as a deep, spicy warmth that isn’t the least bit aggressive. For a supper that’s both robust and rejuvenating, chard, chickpeas, and noodles go into the pot, too.

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Steps

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Toast cumin in a dry small heavy skillet over medium heat , stirring , until deeply fragrant and dark brown.

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Cool , then grind to a powder in grinder.

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Cook chard stems , onion , garlic , 1 / 2 teaspoon each of cumin and salt , and 1 / 4 teaspoon pepper in oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat , stirring occasionally , until beginning to brown , about 10 minutes.

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Add tomato paste and cook , stirring , 2 minutes.

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Add stock , harissa , and lemon juice and simmer , covered , 15 minutes.

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Add chard leaves , chickpeas , and noodles with 1 / 2 teaspoon salt and simmer , covered , until tender , about 5 minutes.

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Serve soup sprinkled with remaining cumin.

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Soup , without noodles , can be made 3 days ahead and chilled.

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Bring to a simmer and cook noodles in soup before serving.

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Ingredients

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cumin seed, swiss chard, red onion, garlic cloves, olive oil, tomato paste, chicken stock, harissa, fresh lemon juice, chickpeas, fine egg noodles, lemon wedges