Moroccan stew
Wholesome vegetable and chickpea stew inspired by Moroccan flavours–lots of warm spices and a little textural interest from chopped dates. From the excellent First Mess Cookbook by Laura Wright.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (substitute canola oil for a more heart-healthy version)
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable stock, plus extra
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chopped greens of choice , kale, spinach, collards etc
To Serve
- chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro
- finely grated lemon zest
- cooked grain of choice , such as brown rice, quinoa, millet, or couscous
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the coconut oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and lower heat until they are sizzling kind of quietly. Once the onions are a bit soft and translucent, add the cinnamon, cumin, coriander and chili flakes. Slowly sauté and stir this mix until the onions are really, really soft, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the chopped dates, carrots and sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables in the spices and oil. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer until the sweet potatoes are just tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the chopped yellow peppers and chickpeas and stir the soup. Season the whole thing again with salt and pepper. Simmer until the yellow peppers are tender and the sweet potatoes are quite soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the greens to the pot (and more stock if necessary) and cook for 1 minute, or until just-wilted. Check the soup for seasoning and serve it hot with cooked grains, drizzles of olive oil, lemon zest and chopped herbs.
NOTES
- I like to slowly cook the onions and spices out in the oil before I add everything else, almost stewing them in a way. The raw-ness of the spice goes away and the onions almost “melt” into the soup. If your onions are browning too fast during this process, just lower the heat a bit.
