Moroccan Mixed Vegetable Broth

Wash all vegetables thoroughly under cold running water. Peel the carrots, turnip, and onion. Dice the onion finely. Cut the carrots and turnip into medium-sized cubes of roughly 2 cm. Slice the zucchini into half-moons. Roughly chop the tomatoes and celery stalks, reserving the celery leaves for garnish. Drain and rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Set all prepared vegetables aside in separate bowls.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until it becomes soft, translucent, and lightly golden. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, forming a fragrant, soft base.

Sprinkle the ras el hanout, ground cumin, turmeric, and salt over the softened onion and tomato mixture. Stir well to coat and cook the spices for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the diced carrots, turnip, and celery stalks to the pot. Stir everything together to coat the vegetables evenly with the spiced tomato base.

Pour in approximately 1.5 liters of cold water, or enough to generously cover all the vegetables by at least 5 cm. Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a vigorous boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot with a lid, and allow the soup to simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the carrots and turnip are beginning to become tender.

Add the sliced zucchini and the drained chickpeas to the simmering broth. Stir gently to incorporate. Continue to simmer the soup over medium-low heat, partially covered, for another 15 minutes until the zucchini is tender and cooked through and the chickpeas are heated thoroughly. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and a pinch of black pepper as needed.

Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in a generous handful of freshly chopped cilantro and flat-leaf parsley. Allow the soup to rest for 2 to 3 minutes so the herbs can infuse the broth with their fresh aroma. Taste one final time for seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the hot broth into deep bowls, ensuring each serving gets a good variety of vegetables, and garnish with a few extra herb leaves and a thin drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Instead of: Turnip

Use: Parsnip or kohlrabi can be used in place of turnip. They have a similar earthy sweetness and will hold up well during the long simmering time.

Instead of: Chickpeas

Use: White beans or lentils work beautifully as substitutes. Green or brown lentils should be added raw with the hard vegetables as they need more time to cook.

Instead of: Ras el Hanout

Use: If ras el hanout is unavailable, use a combination of 1 teaspoon cumin, half a teaspoon coriander, a quarter teaspoon cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon ginger, and a pinch of turmeric.

Instead of: Fresh Tomatoes

Use: One 400g can of crushed or diced tomatoes makes an excellent substitute for fresh tomatoes and can even deepen the flavor of the broth slightly.