Shurpa (Lamb and Vegetable Soup)

Method

1. 1

   Prep the vegetables: halve the carrots lengthwise, peel the potatoes whole, quarter the onions, and chop the dill and cilantro.

2. 2

   Put the lamb and soaked chickpeas in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring up slowly, skimming the surface until the broth runs clear.

   💡 Slow start, honest skimming — shurpa's whole beauty is clarity.

3. 3

   Simmer gently, partly covered, 90 minutes until the lamb is tender.

4. 4

   Add the carrots, potatoes, onion and tomato whole; simmer 25 more, until the vegetables are just tender.

5. 5

   Taste the broth and adjust the salt.

6. 6

   Ladle one piece of everything — lamb, chickpeas, carrot, potato, tomato — into each bowl with plenty of broth, and scatter the herbs over the top at the table.