Last week, Rachel came over to film us both making Harira soup in my kitchen. She schlepped her beautiful white pot and most of the ingredients. I looked at her pot, telling her, “That quantity of ingredients will not fit in that pot!”

She really wanted to use her pot. So we warmed the oil, added the onions, grated the fresh turmeric and added the harissa paste and all the warm spices. Then we realized that the camera was not on. 

We quickly pivoted and used my green Le Crueset pot. That little slip-up meant we had two bases for the soup. 

Harira is a traditional, hearty, robust Moroccan tomato-based dish that is flavored with lentils, chickpeas, harissa and warm spices like fresh turmeric and ground cumin. 

This soup is nutritionally dense and low in fat. It is filled with fall harvest vegetables, like butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots, providing beta carotene. The garbanzos and red lentils are rich sources of protein, fiber, folate and minerals like iron and potassium.This soup is nutritionally dense and low in fat. It includes fresh herbs like flat leaf parsley and cilantro and a wonderful squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end. 

Harira comes from the the Arabic word for silk which refers to the velvety smooth texture lent by the red lentils, which soften quickly and add a pleasing creaminess to the soup.

After we filmed the reel, I made another pot of Harira, but with a twist—I added a whole head of cauliflower. I served it as the first course for Friday night dinner and everyone (young nephews and nieces included) loved it. 

As the leaves turn orange and gold, the days grow shorter and the air blows a little cooler, make this amazing hearty and zesty soup part of your menu. 

—Sharon 

Sukkot has always been one of my favorite holidays. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow cooler, you can feel the change of season. There is something about sitting outside in the evening, surrounded by family, that makes Sukkot feel especially cozy.

Neil and I are the only people in my family who build a sukkah, so every year, my brothers and their kids come to join us. 

My parents always loved the holiday of Sukkot because it was always such a beautiful celebration in Morocco. In Los Angeles, they always lived in apartments, so they never had the space to build a sukkah. When Neil and I bought our first home, we built a pergola that could be used as the structure for our sukkah. And in every home we have lived in, we have made sure to have a permanent structure for a sukkah.

I love decorating with Moroccan-style fabrics and curtains and giving it that Moroccan touch. My parents loved sitting in our sukkah. I think it brought back a little bit of Morocco. 

This year is especially exciting because my granddaughter started nursery school at Hillel Hebrew Academy, and she has been coming home with art projects. It has been a very long time since my children brought home art projects from school, and I am so excited to hang hers in our sukkah. I can’t wait to see her face when she sees her artwork hanging there.

And then there is the food.

For Sukkot, I always make a big pot of Moroccan harira. I love making soup for this holiday because even if the days are still warm, the cooler evenings make you start craving something warm and comforting.

I also make harira when we break the fast on Yom Kippur. I make it vegetarian because after a 24-hour fast, I find that eating meat can be a bit of a shock to my system. I want something lighter and easy to digest, but still full of vegetables and nutrition. A bowl of harira is exactly what I want after fasting all day.

For Sukkot, I make a heartier version. I add beef bones and cheek meat, which becomes so tender as it cooks in the soup. By the time it is ready, the harira is practically a complete meal. It is warm, nourishing and incredibly comforting.

This year, when my brothers and their kids come to sit in the sukkah, there will be a big pot of harira waiting for them. And hanging from the walls will be my granddaughter’s artwork. 

—Rachel

HARIRA MOROCCAN VEGETABLE SOUP (gluten free)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 Tbsp fresh grated turmeric or 1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp harissa (paste) or dried red chile flakes

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 large carrot, cut into coins

1 large sweet potato, cubed

4 cups butternut squash, cubed

1 large potato, cubed

2 large zucchini, cubed

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato paste

8 cups vegetable, beef, or chicken stock

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 lemon, juiced

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the sliced onions until they are golden.

Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa, salt and pepper and sauté until the onions are well coated.

Add the celery, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, and potato, stir and to combine.

Add the parsley, cilantro, tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the vegetable broth and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil to a boil, then add the lentils and canned garbanzos, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Pour in the lemon juice and stir gently. Simmer the soup for about 5 minutes. Serve hot, topped with chopped cilantro and parsley.

If making this soup as a main course, you can serve with boiled egg noodles or white rice or cooked barley. Soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. Their cooking and storytelling project has grown into a devoted following on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.