SOUP SEASON CONTINUES

 

Here's a soup to get you through the winter.

 

This is the longest running soup season that I can remember, a winter during which I may never eat salad or other cold dish for lunch. This week’s selection is a fairly new addition to my soup rotation. I included this recipe for Sopa Morisca in my new cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain (Hippocrene Books). 

Sopa Morisca, or “Moorish” Soup, is from Almería and Granada provinces in southern Spain, the region that was the refuge of the Muslim population after the fall of the last Moorish kingdom of Granada, in 1492. These people, called Moriscos, were ostensibly converted to Christianity and allowed to remain. They were finally expelled from Christian Spain in 1609. 

This hearty soup is sort of a cross between Spanish sopa de picadillo that is made with the broth from a cocido, with chickpeas, chicken, and fideo noodles, and Moroccan harira soup, which may have lentils as well as chickpeas.  As made today the soup has a base of chopped tomatoes and is seasoned with pimentón (paprika). As those ingredients come from the New World, I omitted them from the recipes in the cookbook as they are not flavors of al-Andalus. To tell the truth, I like to finish the soup with a spoonful of harissa, Moroccan hot-chile paste!  

A heart-warming soup for cold weather--vegetables, chickpeas, and fideo noodles. Chicken optional.

This recipe for Morisca Soup appears in FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS.

Morisca Soup with Chickpeas and Noodles from Almería

Sopa Morisca Almeriense

This recipe uses canned or precooked chickpeas, so is fairly quick to prepare. (If you are starting out with dry chickpeas, put them to soak in hot water the evening before cooking. Drain and add to fresh hot water. Cook until chickpeas are tender, about 1 ½ hours.) 

Fideo noodles, like vermicelli, come in sizes from the thinnest angel’s hair to medium-thick. For this recipe, use medium-thick ones or substitute spaghetti broken into short lengths.

 

Serves 4.

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced carrots

½ teaspoon coarse salt

3 cloves garlic

Pinch of saffron threads

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

8 cups chicken stock or water

Salt

1 ½ cups cooked and drained chickpeas

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 cup medium fideo noodles

1 cup diced cooked chicken (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sprigs of fresh mint

Chopped cooked egg, to garnish

Lemon wedges, to serve

Bread to accompany the soup

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Sauté the onions, celery and carrots on medium heat 5 minutes. While onions are sautéing, in a mortar grind the coarse salt with the garlic, saffron, peppercorns and cumin. Stir this mixture into the pot with the vegetables.

Add the stock or water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Add salt to taste. Add the chickpeas, half of the parsley and the cilantro. Cook, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 15 minutes. Add the fideo noodles and cook them according to package directions, 12 minutes for medium fideos. Add the cooked chicken, if using, and remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice. 

Serve the soup with sprigs of mint and chopped egg. Accompany the soup with lemon wedges and bread.

I've added a spoonful of Moroccan harissa, hot-chile paste, and some chard from the garden to the basic soup recipe. 

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Here's a collection of regional Spanish soup recipes, from Basque leek and potato to garbure Navarra, that will see you through the final six weeks of winter.   READY FOR SOUP 

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. Here's a fresh angle on the traditional cooking of Spain, with 120 recipes that trace their roots to Moorish Spain. See below for where to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs (USA) 

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

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Order on amazon (USA)

Order on amazon.es  (Spain)

Order on amazon.co.uk (UK)

Order on amazon.com.au (Australia)

(If you order on Amazon, please give my book a review!)

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NEW! MEATBALLS WITH BACKSTORY

 

Meatballs with an Arabic backstory, Christmas cookies that are Jewish, and gazpacho with no tomatoes—these are just a few of the recipes in my new cookbook,

FLAVORS of AL-ANDALUS

The Culinary Legacy of Spain. 

Published by Hippocrene Books (New York), Flavors of al-Andalus will be out in August and is available for pre-order now.

These are 120 Spanish recipes with roots in an era before Spain was Spain, when al-Andalus was the name of the Islamic kingdom that comprised much of the Iberian peninsula from 711 CE until 1492. 

 Flavors of al-Andalus is not a historical cookbook. Although I referenced 13^th century Arabic cookbooks (in English translation by Nawal Nasrallah), I haven’t tried to recreate Andalusí recipes. This is food that reveals traces of al-Andalus in what people cook and eat today, the food you might find in a tapas bar in Sevilla, at a village fiesta, or on the dinner table in a pueblo home. It is the story of the Muslim influence on the Spanish cooking of today.

 All of the recipes are accompanied by photographs and many of them also tell stories about how these dishes from medieval times came to be in today’s kitchens.

 

In the Vegetables chapter: Winter Gazpacho with Oranges (Gazpacho de Invierno)

What’s on the menu? In the Vegetables chapter you’ll find a couple of versions of gazpacho plus “dunking salads” and salmorejo, all made without tomatoes. There’s an all-vegetable paella and several versions of tortilla with no potatoes. New ways with familiar vegetables: fried eggplant drizzled with molasses, carrots with mint, artichokes with oranges.

Fish and Shellfish: Lemony Fish Chowder (Gazpachuelo con Pescado)

 The Fish and Shellfish chapter is slightly weighted in favor of salt fish and marinades—a reminder of the fact that people had no refrigeration in al-Andalus. The recipes for salt cod and trout escabeche are every bit as popular today as they were in the 12^th century! Fresh seafood is featured in recipes such as shrimp fritters, fish in saffron sauce, roasted sardines with pine nuts and several unusual fish soups.

In the Meat, Poultry, and Game chapter: spicy Moorish Kebabs (Pinchitos Morunos)

The chapter on Meat, Poultry, and Game is meaningful for what’s missing—no pork, no ham, no sausage, meat so prevalent today. In al-Andalus neither Muslims nor the Sephardic Jews consumed pork. Instead there are delicious preparations such as chicken with pasta “rags,” lamb in garlicky sauce with pomegranate, braised beef with onion gravy, and a grand cocido, a no-pork version from Toledo. And, of course, those aforementioned meatballs with a savory saffron-almond sauce, pictured on the cover of Flavors of al-Andalus.

From Sweets and Breads, Crispy Olive Oil Cookies (Tortas de Aceite).

 

The Sweets and Breads chapter includes mantecados, a beloved Christmas cookie, made with olive oil instead of lard. There are also recipes—Moorish and more-ish—for a gooey-sweet jam-filled tart, almond-cream pudding, cakes, and cookies such as the famous tortas de aceite from Sevilla (pictured in the above page spread).  

 A section with menu suggestions for a tapas party, brunch, family meals (including vegetarian options), and holiday dinners makes it easy to use the recipes.

 I’ve enjoyed delving deep into the traditional cooking of Spain. I invite you to sample the flavors of al-Andalus. 

 Here’s where you can pre-order Flavors of al-Andalus

 

FLAVORS of AL-ANDALUS

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe.

$39.95 hardcover: Available in print and e-book in August 2025

 Pre-order on IndiePubs

Use PROMO CODE HIPPO40 for 40% off through June 30 on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

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Pre-order on amazon

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If you would like to feature Flavors of al-Andalus on your blog, Substack, Instagram page, or newspaper-magazine column, contact pgress@hippocrenebooks.com to receive a digital review copy.

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A tapas spread--all recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus.

Hippocrene Books is a New York City-based independent book publisher specializing in foreign language dictionaries and self-study guides, international cookbooks, and history and travel titles. See their catalog Hippocrene Books - Hippocrene Books, Inc.

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RECIPES FROM AL-ANDALUS

 

La Baltasara, Antonio Gala museum.

A tasting of foods from al-Andalus in a lush garden that might have delighted a Moorish prince. Such was the evening I enjoyed recently—Cocina Andalusí en la Baltasara—presented by cookbook author Ana Abellán—in Alhaurín el Grande (Málaga). 

La Baltasara was the country home and literary retreat of Antonio Gala, Spanish poet, playwright and novelist. Now converted to a museum containing Gala’s personal effects and library, La Baltasara serves as a cultural center for the town of Alhaurín. It was an evocative setting for a tasting of dishes that might have been served in medieval al-Andalus. 

Al-Andalus was Moorish Spain, Islamic Spain. It encompassed much of the Iberian Peninsula between 711 and 1492. The cuisine of the era—before the discovery of the Americas and the introduction of tomatoes—is still reflected in modern-day cooking.

Cookbook author Ana Abellán (center) serves tastings of anchovy escabeche assisted by Chef Lutz Petry and María Eloy, poet and member of the editorial board of ColandCol publishers.

Ana Abellán, whose book, Berza y Pringá, las Recetas de Málaga Pueblo a Pueblo (ColandCol Ediciones; 2023), features recipes from every pueblo in the province of Málaga, planned the tasting to showcase local produce such as the oranges of the Guadalhorce Valley and the Aloreña olives and olive oil of the area. 

Eggplant tortillita.

The dishes that Ana demo-ed: Porra de naranja con bacalao ahumado, a thick, cold soup related to gazpacho, with oranges instead of tomatoes.

Tortillitas de berenjenas, eggplant omelets, adapted from a recipe found in an Andalusí-Arabic cookbook from the 13th century written by Ibn Razin al-Tujībī.

Escabeche de boquerones, fresh anchovies in an escabeche marinade, and 

Rosquillas de cítricos, citrus-flavored fried doughnuts.

The porra de naranja—which I translate as “Orange Gazpacho Cream”—is a dish with peasant origins. Field hands made it for their midday meal, mashing bread, garlic and olive oil in a wooden bowl then gathering around to dip chunks of bread into the tasty mash.

Porra—which is a close cousin of Córdoba’s salmorejo—is easily made in a blender or food processor. The classic version is served with chopped cooked egg and chunks of canned tuna. In a reference to another Málaga dish, a salad of oranges, olives and salt cod, Ana Abellán served her version with chopped smoked cod. Brilliant. 

Orange Gazpacho Cream

Porra de Naranja

Porra, like salmorejo, is a thick cream usually served cold. The classic version is made with tomatoes, but this one has orange juice in the mix. Serve it as a thick soup or as a dip.

Three large oranges make 1 cup of juice. Use blood oranges if you want a cream with deeper color. Use a dense-crumbed country-style bread. The bread is easier to pulp in a food processor than in a blender. Removing crusts helps to soften the bread. Add water as needed to run the processor, but keep the porra as thick as possible.

Serve the porra with spoons or with crackers or breadsticks for dipping. It makes a good merienda, afternoon snack, or can be served as a starter for dinner. 

Serves 4-6.

The porra is topped with pieces of salt cod and olives---

5 ounces day-old bread

1 cup fresh orange juice

½ teaspoon grated orange peel

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Water, as needed

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + additional to finish

Toppings (choose 1 or 2):

Flaked salt cod or strips of smoked cod

Canned tuna, well drained

Hard-boiled egg, chopped

Chopped serrano ham

Cooked shrimp

Strips of smoked salmon

Green or black pitted olives

Chopped orange segments

Chopped scallions or chives

Crackers or bread  to serve

Break up the bread into pieces and place them in a bowl. Pour over the orange juice. Stir in the orange peel, garlic and salt. Allow to set until the bread begins to soften, 15 minutes. 

---or chopped egg---

Place the mixture in a food processor container and process until the bread is reduced to a smooth paste. Add 1 to 4 tablespoons of water as needed. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to the mixture until it is absorbed and emulsified. The result should be a thick, smooth cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve the porra in small shallow bowls. Add toppings of your choice. Drizzle with additional oil. Serve accompanied with crackers or bread for dipping.

--or with shrimp, pieces of orange, red onion and chopped chives.

Ana fries tiny eggplant omelets, a recipe from a 13th century cookbook.

Sundown in the gardens of La Baltasara.

More about Ana Abellán and Entre Berza y Pringá.

Ana Abellán blogs at Me Sabe a Málaga . Her book is available from Amazon and from the publisher Col and Col.

About La Baltasara.

More versions of porra;

Mango-Tomato Gazpacho Cream.

Salmorejo with Tomatoes.

Fava Bean Cream.

Cold Almond Cream.