Moroccan Vegetable Stew

Spicy, fragrant Mediterranean dish can be served over basmati rice or couscous

I originally came upon this recipe as a new way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving – indeed I’ve adapted it from the Butterball version on the Eatturkey.com website. And it’s very tasty with turkey. But the turkey does not play a starring role here, and the flavor is so outstanding that I immediately started reworking the recipe in my head as a stand alone vegetarian dish. So that is how I’m presenting it today.

Photo Credit: Butterball, © 2010 National Turkey Federation

 

This hearty and satisfying stew can be served over basmati rice (my preferred version) or couscous (original recipe suggestion). I throw uncooked rice into my sauce, with extra water, so I can have a one-pot dish. It also works fine to cook your rice separately, keep it warm, and then serve it together. If using couscous, do cook that separately.

I also love how this stew combines savory and sweet scents – cinnamon and currants add surprising flavor while the sunflower seeds add crunch. The overall taste is on the sweet side, but with no added sugar and lots of veggies. Enjoy!

Morrocan Vegetable Stew

Adapted from a Butterball Turkey company recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbsps olive oil

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 large carrot or 1 handful baby carrots, sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

pinch of salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp coriander

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can (14-15 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices

1 can + 1 cup water

¼ cup dried currants*

Optional – 1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

Required topping – roasted sunflower seeds

Suggested garnishes – fresh cilantro or parsley and/or dollop of plain yogurt

*NOTE: I love cooking & baking with currants as their tiny size blends perfectly into textures and packs intense flavor. I can find them easily at my regular grocer – Zante Currants are one variety. (I originally thought all currants were British, but Zantes are a bit different. They are Mediterranean, a tiny grape, grown mostly on a Greek island.) If you can’t find them, just substitute ½ cup raisins.

Photo credit: Robert Wallace, Flikr, 2008.  Zante currants drying on a farm near Zakynthos, Greece.

 Directions:

Pour olive oil into stockpot over medium heat. Sauté sweet potatoes, red onion, carrot & celery slices. Add in 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir as needed; cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and veggies are softening a little.

Measure out and stir in spices. Coat veggies. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour in tomatoes, add garlic, currants, and uncooked rice. Stir. Add in garbanzo beans, if desired, stir. Bring heat up to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes. Stir as needed. Rice should be totally cooked and veggies should be fork tender.

Scoop into bowls, sprinkle with sunflower seeds, garnish with fresh herbs and/or yogurt.

VEGAN SUGGESTION: garnish with fresh herbs alone

ALLERGENS: contains none of the top 8 allergens; however, if using cous cous dish would contain wheat and one suggested garnish is dairy based

ALLERGY ACCOMMODATIONS: garnish with fresh herbs alone to eliminate dairy; serve with rice to eliminate wheat