A chicken soup recipe can be made many ways for the Passover / Pesach Seder and chicken soup is a staple of the Passover / Pesach Seder. Chicken soup recipes abound, but Jews from Morocco have used a Moroccan-Jewish version of the chicken soup recipe that results in a very enhanced version of chicken soup over the basic chicken soup recipe of Jewish tradition, especially Ashkenazic-Jewish tradition (Ashkenazim are Jews whose ancestors came from Central and/or Eastern Europe). Sephardim (alternate spelling: Sefardim; plural form of "Sephardi" or "Sefardi"; descriptive form: "Sephardic" or "Sefardic") are Jews whose ancestors came from Spain and/or Portugal. Sephardic Jews whose ancestors arrived in Morocco following their expulsions from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1497 respectively, adapted to their new country in culinary terms by incorporating local ingredients into their recipes, and the following chicken soup recipe reflects but one of those adaptations, as coriander is used as a spice in the Moroccan chicken soup recipe.

Moroccan Passover Chicken Soup Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 leeks, sliced thin
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 (2-pound or 0.91-kilogram) chicken breast, boneless and skinless, sliced
2 quarts chicken stock (preferably homemade, from your favorite recipe)
1 cup dried fava beans, rehydrated until tender
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cups water
1 cup white wine, such as chardonnay
1 tablespoon ground coriander
Pepper to taste
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions for the Moroccan Passover Chicken Soup recipe:

  1. Heat a large stockpot until very hot; pour oil into pot.
  2. Add onions, leeks and carrots; heat until onions start to become translucent.
  3. Add chicken breast to vegetable mix, stirring continuously until chicken is no longer pink.
  4. Add broth, fava beans, celery, water and wine.
  5. Add coriander and pepper.
  6. Let soup come to boil; turn down to simmer.
  7. Skim soup, removing surface residue, every 10 minutes or so, until it is clear.
  8. When vegetables are al dente ("al dente" means "to the tooth" in Italian; in this case, it refers to the vegetables being cooked enough to be firm but not soft, or, in other words, cooked enough to be edible but still firm), add chickpeas, salt and pepper.
  9. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings of Moroccan chicken soup.

Approximate Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories: 347; Fat: 10 grams; Calories From Fat: 25 percent; Carbohydrates: 36 grams; Protein: 25 grams; Fiber: 11 grams; Cholesterol: 31 milligrams; Sodium: 252 milligrams.


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