Name: Harira
Yield: serves six
Ingredients: 200g brown lentils, rinsed; 150g chickpeas, soaked overnight; 1 large onion, fine-chopped; 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and crushed; A handful of celery leaves (not stalks); A big bunch each of coriander and parsley; 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1/4 tsp cinnamon, right at the end; A pinch of saffron; Olive oil, salt, pepper; 2 tbsp flour mixed with a little cold water; Lemon, dates, bread, at the table

The pot has been on since noon. The whole house smells of cumin and tomato and that cinnamon-at-the-end thing that only happens in Ramadan. Zahra makes hers thicker than mine. I keep adjusting toward her version, year on year. It is almost there.

Harira

serves six

For the pot

200g brown lentils, rinsed150g chickpeas, soaked overnight1 large onion, fine-chopped4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and crushedA handful of celery leaves (not stalks)A big bunch each of coriander and parsley1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground ginger1/4 tsp cinnamon, right at the endA pinch of saffronOlive oil, salt, pepper

To finish

2 tbsp flour mixed with a little cold waterLemon, dates, bread, at the table

Sweat the onion in olive oil. Tomatoes, celery leaves, herbs, spices in — a couple of minutes until the kitchen smells ridiculous.

Lentils and chickpeas, water to cover (about two litres). Bring up, drop to a simmer, walk away for forty-five minutes.

Cinnamon now. Stream the flour-water in slowly, stirring, until it just coats a spoon. Lemon at the table.

The first harira