Vegetable Stew With a Punch
— -- A major emphasis in the new food pyramid is vegetables, and Sara Moulton's Moroccan Vegetable Stew from "Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals" is packed with nutrient-rich veggies, with an added punch of harissa -- a Tunisian chili paste.
"This is the kind of meal that would sneak up on a carnivore who would be surprised there's no meat in it," Moulton said.
You can find the recipes for both the vegetable stew and the harissa below.
Harissa
Hands-on time: 5 mins.
Total prep time: 5 mins.
Serving: Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
One 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers in water, well drained, or two roasted peppers
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced, about 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon of cumin seed
½ teaspoon of coriander seed
½ teaspoon of caraway seed
½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
Combine the peppers, oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and pepper flakes in a blender or food processor fitted with a chopping blade; puree until smooth.
Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
Hands-on time: 20 mins.
Total prep time: 35 mins.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of extra virgin oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons of finely grated fresh ginger (use a Microplane)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon of allspice
6 medium parsnips (about 1¾ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick chunks
2 large sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and cut into ½-inch chunksOne 15 ½-ounce can of chopped tomatoes
One 14-ounce can of vegetable broth
One recipe of harissa
One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 small zucchinis (12 ounces to 14 ounces, cut into ½-inch-thick chunks)
One 5-ounce package of rinsed baby spinach
½ cup of golden raisins
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
Rinsed and dried chopped fresh cilantro or mint
Directions
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over high heat until hot.
Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about five minutes.
Add the garlic and cook a minute longer.
Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, cumin and allspice and cook two minutes.
Add the parsnips, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the harissa -- the recipe is above.
Add chickpeas and zucchini to the stew; simmer five minutes longer.
Add spinach and raisins and simmer just until the spinach has wilted.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Ladle the stew into bowls and top each portion with some harissa and cilantro.