Moroccan Style Legume and Potato Stew

Still a bit chilly where you are? Looking for something comforting, filled with warm, aromatic spices, two varieties of tender potatoes, and fiber and nutrient-rich legumes served piping hot? Well, here’s a recipe that pays homage to the Moroccan side of my family, and it’s exactly the dish you’ll want to warm a dark and cold night.

In North Africa and worldwide, the conical-shaped vessel called a tagine is classically filled with savory & sweet ingredients with a richly-spiced sauce cooked for hours over low heat. The cooked concoction itself is also called a tagine and is, in fact, what we would typically refer to as a stew. To accomplish a similar result when tagine-challenged, we used a large pot to cook this one-pot dish.

The recipe is made even easier by using Melissa’s Steamed Garbanzo Beans and Steamed Fava Beans (they’re already cooked), along with cooks-fairly-quickly Dutch Yellow Potatoes and Baby Purple Carrots. Seasonal Romano Beans are added for freshness and extra color; lemon juice is added for zesty brightness, and organic dates add just the right amount of sweetness.

All of these components come together in a beautifully balanced way, thanks to those warm, comforting spices that also provide a delicious, exotic experience, perfect for a cold winter’s night.

Moroccan Style Legume and Potato Stew
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 ½ cups Perfect Sweet Onions, peeled and chopped
3 Peeled Garlic Cloves, minced
2 cups Dutch Yellow Potatoes, cubed (no need to peel)
2 cups Organic Baby Jewel or Baby Garnet Yams (sweet potatoes), peeled & cubed
1 ½ cups Baby Purple Carrots, chopped
2 cups fresh Romano Beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Chile Quebrado (crushed pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup Organic Pitted Deglet Noor Dates, chopped
2 cups crushed tomatoes or grated fresh tomatoes
2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
1 package Steamed Garbanzo Beans, rinsed in water
1 package Steamed Fava Beans, rinsed in water
1 pinch Spanish Saffron, hand crushed
½ Seedless Lemon, juiced
1 handful Fresh Italian Parsley or Fresh Cilantro, chopped

In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil sprinkled with sea salt, on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, DYP’s, yams or sweet potatoes, carrots and Romano beans, and stir to combine. Add the ground coriander, ground turmeric, Chile Quebrado (crushed pepper flakes), and ground cinnamon. If necessary, add a bit more oil—Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the dates, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth, stir to incorporate and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the crushed saffron, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the garbanzo and fava beans, cover the pot again, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Stir in the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Adjust the seasonings if desired.

Enjoy hot served over quinoa or couscous, or with some crusty bread to soak up the scrumptious sauce.