Love for Food

After I finally decided on a Moroccan dinner party theme, I started to research what I could have as a starter. Traditional Moroccan dinners can have up to fifty dishes! Each dish is served one at a time in a particular order, dependant on taste and texture. Since I can't make so many dishes, I decided on a few "tapas" for the starter. I also wanted a main appetizer superstar. I was thinking soup and I was thinking fall. When I saw this pumpkin soup, I had to try it. I love pumpkin soup and was very happy with the way my L'hanraak Garagh turned out. I found the recipe here, on Food.com. It offers a little something different when your tired of your old stand by. Serve with some warm ksra (Moroccan flat bread) or pita bread.Ingredients: Serves Eight
1 cup dried garbanzo beans3 tablespoons vegetable oil3 leeks, white and light green part only or 2 large onions8 cups chicken broth or 8 cups vegetable broth6 cups fresh pumpkin or 6 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded & diced or 4 cups canned pumpkin puree2 -4 tablespoons honey1 cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves1 teaspoon saltfresh ground pepperMethod:

• Cover the chickpeas with water.
• Cover and allow to soak overnight.
• Drain.
• Saute the leeks in the oil over medium heat until soft and translucent,approximately 5-10 minutes.
• Add the broth, pumpkin cubes or puree, chickpeas, honey, spices and salt to the pan.
• Cover and simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
• If using the cinnamon stick, discard it.
• If desired, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
• For Vegan option do not use honey. And for Vegetarian do not use Chicken broth.