Moroccan Chicken Soup

I first made this soup a couple summers ago, and since then I've made it a few times for my family.  It is easy to make (takes about 15 minutes) and is very hearty and filling.  The recipe is from the Best Simple Recipes cookbook by America's Test Kitchen, one of my first cookbooks!  It calls for garam masala, an Indian blend of spices, made up of black pepper, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom, among other spices.  Most of these spices are also abundantly used in Moroccan cooking, so I think the recipe calls for using the Indian spice in order to simplify the recipe.  I like that it's mild (I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy things) and it gives the soup a flavor very similar to what I tasted in Morocco. (see the end of this post for some of my pictures from Morocco!)

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon garam masala
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatos (we use the no salt added version)
2 15.5oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 zucchini, cut into half moons
1/2 cup plain couscous
1 rotisserie chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

Using a rotisserie chicken makes the whole process a lot faster, but making the chicken will work just as well.  Discard the skin and shred the chicken into bite size pieces.  You'll only need about 3 cups of chicken for the soup.

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, cook onion in ~1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent and lightly browned (takes about 5 minutes).  Add the garam masala and stir, cooking for another 30 seconds.  Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Add the chickpeas, zucchini, and couscous, cover the pot, and cook for about 8 minutes.  Uncover, stir in about 3 cups of the chicken, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Let it simmer for a few minutes so the chicken can absorb the flavors, then serve with some crusty bread!

Morocco 

Morocco was the last port on my voyage on Semester at Sea, the study abroad program I did in the summer of 2010.  We docked in Casablanca and a group of us took a day trip to Marrakech, which was amazing!!  I had so many amazing dishes throughout the summer, but one of the best was a lamb dish with couscous, chickpeas, vegetables, and stewed dates.  Check it out:

 Soooo delicious.  I may or may not have had more than two helpings... :)

 And this is one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip, in a garden in Marrakech: