Spicy and rich, this is the ultimate in meat-free comfort food. In fact, this dish was so tasty and filling that Dave didn’t even want any of the leftover grilled chicken breast that I offered to appease my ‘meatitarian’. Don’t skip the Harissa paste, it really makes the dish an explosion of flavor!
Serves 4
Ingredients
Stew
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 teaspoons each ground cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (can substitute regular or hungarian)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 small butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled and chopped
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) chickpeas
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Harissa paste (more or less depending on desired level of spice)
- 2 cups of water
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh mint, chopped
Apricot Rice
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, snipped in half
Directions
For Stew
- Heat olive oil in a medium to large sized dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers
- Add onion and carrots and sauté until onion becomes translucent (6 minutes)
- Add garlic and spices and sauté for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly so spices don’t burn
- Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes and tomato paste stirring well to coat then add water and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat medium-low and gently simmer for at least 45 minutes tightly covered, stirring only 2 or 3 times (to keep the flavors in)
- Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste and allow to stand for 15 minutes for flavors to meld
- Ladle into serving bowls along side rice an sprinkle with chopped mint
Adapted from: http://kelliesfoodtoglow.com/2012/11/27/tunisian-chickpea-and-vegetable-tagine/
For Apricot Rice
- While stew is cooking bring remaining water to boil along with table salt, then add rice and apricots
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes stirring once or twice
- Continue to simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender
KT’s Comments
- The spices made the kitchen smell really good for two days
- You could substitute any rood vegetables you like
- The Harissa paste makes a big difference, packs a kick so taste before you add more
- Really good left over so make lots of rice
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