Moroccan Vegetable Stew

I have a couple of recipes for this dish, called either Moroccan Stew or Marrakech Curry. I have no recollection of the origin of these. I found a number of variations for this type of dish when I went in search for my original recipe. This is the perfect dish for a pantry-meal: using longer lasting vegetables, pantry items, and beans and quinoa for protein.

For this particular meal, I added garbanzo beans and served it over couscous, sprinkled with chopped cilantro. 

I found the original spice quantities to be a little bland for adult tastes - these were enhanced with some hot sauce. Harissa would be the perfect addition - as would a few slices of Preserved Lemons.

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients

¼ cup water / vegetable broth for sautéing

1 cup water / vegetable broth for stewing (possibly up to 2 cups)

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 cup cubed sweet potato

1 cup cubed zucchini

1 cup cubed butternut squash

1 cup cubed carrot

1 can diced tomatoes

1 diced green pepper

1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Method

Saute onions, garlic and spices in water / broth.

Add sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots.

Stew for around 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice from can, zucchini, bell pepper and drained and rinsed garbanzo beans.

Stew For a further 15 minutes. Add raisins.

Cook until vegetables are soft and sauce has formed (about 30 minutes).

Season to taste.

Serve over quinoa (or more traditional couscous).

Notes / Variations

Using yellow zucchini and yellow peppers would really enhance the ‘yellowness’ of this dish.
Of course, if you plan ahead, use freshly soaked and prepared garbanzo beans and fresh tomatoes. 
Add water or broth sparingly, particularly if using juice from canned tomatoes. 
For this particular meal, I was all out of onions, so increased the amount of garlic. I used twice the quantity of carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato and zucchini, and doubled the quantities of spice (all except cayenne). 
The kids hadn't eaten this dish in some time - so were somewhat dubious when I served it to them. They ate it all without complaint when the word 'dessert' was mentioned! 

Vegetable Kebabs

Vegetable Kebabs or Kebobs are an excellent dish for a full-on veggie onslaught for our kids (and us too). These are a perfect summer dish when there are abundant vegetables and cooking on the grill/BBQ becomes the norm. Kebabs are easy enough to prepare - even by the kids - and this dish can be a constructed by several people at once. 

I make a simple marinade of light olive oil, crushed fresh garlic, ground pepper and fresh chopped herbs from the garden. Tonight's herbs were thyme, parsley and oregano. I soak wooden skewers for approximately 45 minutes, lightly salt a thickly-sliced eggplant (for around half an hour - to draw out any bitter juices) - then rinse and pat dry before cutting into chunks. I toss all vegetable chunks with the marinade, before threading onto skewers. 

Vegetables tonight included: red pepper, eggplant, zucchini, yellow zucchini, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Other vegetables can include onion slices, green pepper, slices of corn on the cob, chunks of thick asparagus (when available), summer squash, pineapple, etc. 

Tonight we included chunks of 'Bread Cheese'. The kids will eat any dish if it includes this yummy gooey 'hot cheese'. We became accustomed to this cheese at the Green City Markets in Chicago.  The cheese is similar to Halloumi but I find it to be less salty and more affordable in our part of the world. 

We sometimes include chunks of andouille or chorizo sausage or even chunks of chicken or marinated lamb. Take care to ensure all meats are cooked adequately. 

Tonights kebabs were cooked inside under our broiler as the weather was a little chilly outside. As we had a late lunch, the Kebabs were our whole meal - no sides. If we are hungrier, I might serve a side salad such as a green salad or a tabbouleh made with garbanzo beans instead of bulgar. 

Corn Cakes

Corn is becoming abundant at this time of year. Time to try out some more of Amanda's Corn Cakes. Today I added a small, diced red pepper after blending the ingredients. 

I served the corn cakes with fresh steamed asparagus and a version of pico de gallo made with some additional diced avocado. Paul had made some aioli and mixed this with some Tabasco sauce - a brilliant accompaniment!