Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Stew with Yogurt and Za'atar Toasts
Winter has officially arrived. It’s been nothing but rain and 40 degree mornings here in San Francisco, and I took full advantage over the holiday weekend. Bread making, cleaning, dinners with friends, copious amounts of (decaf) coffee, and a lot of lounging. The weather has me feeling very slow and cozy and all I want to eat are soups, stews, and basically any kind of curry or veggie packed brothy goodness. Luckily, due to my rural PA upbringing and my mother’s habit of always cooking for a small army, I had some frozen soup leftover from a previous recipe I brought out for support. Seriously, freezing is the key to a happy kitchen life. (Aside from great knives, of course.)
But, on to the task at hand— THIS. STEW. As one who is prone to hyperbole, I am not ashamed to say this is one of my new favorite things. I made it for the first time a few months ago and was nothing short of elated with the end result. I have been tweaking and perfecting ever since! The combination of citrus with warming spices instantly warms me up and has such a brightness to it. The za’atar toasts here balance out the profile by acting almost as an anchor for the bright flavors of the stew. If you have ever had a tagine, it’s something akin to those flavorings. I make this fairly sweet, but you could omit some or most of the orange juice and end up with a pretty savory stew. Also, for the orange and lemon peels, I left them in when serving and just ate around (it feels more rustic and I’m lazy), but if you want it to be a bit cleaner, remove the peels from the stew before serving.
Moroccan vegetable Tagine Stew with Yogurt and Za’atar Toasts
ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 parsnips, diced
1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c dried apricots, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 c golden raisins
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 c cooked lentils
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs harissa paste
3 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp all spice
2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional for spice)
2 1/2 - 3 c vegetable broth
1/2 lemon
2 oranges
26 oz chopped tomatoes
salt & pepper
To serve
sourdough slices
extra virgin olive oil
za’atar seasoning
maldon salt
1 garlic clove, cut in half
full fat greek yogurt
To make
First, sauté your aromatics. In a large dutch oven or pot, sauté the carrots, parsnips and onion on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season well with salt and pepper. When the bottom of the pan starts to brown, add a tiny bit of vegetable broth to loosen up the brown bits. It adds a nice depth and richness to the stew.
While they are sautéing, peel oranges and lemon and reserve for later. Squeeze orange juice into a small bowl. Set aside.
When the onions, carrots and parsnips are soft and cooked well, add tomato paste, 1/2 of the orange juice, chopped tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, all spice, smoked paprika, and harissa paste. Stir well to coat. After about 3 minutes, add 2 cups broth, citrus peels, and cauliflower. Reduce heat to low, add the dried fruit, chickpeas and lentils. Stir well. Cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
If your lentils aren’t already cooked, do so now. For about 1/2 cup cooked lentils, you’ll need about 1/4 c dry.
After about 20 minutes of cooking, if the stew tastes too sweet, feel free to add more chili powder, harissa, and/or cumin. If it needs more citrus flavor, add remaining orange juice. Simmer together another 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and keep covered.
Lastly, make the toasts. Once the bread is toasted and still hot, rub with garlic and brush with good quality olive oil. Spread about 1/2 tsp of za’atar. Sprinkle generously with maldon salt.
To serve, spread a spoonful of greek yogurt on a shallow bowl. Top with stew and serve with za’atar toast! You can also do a gluten-free pita bread here if you can find it. If you really want to be an overachiever, I served these topped with feta and parsley as well. A dream come true.
