Note: This Moroccan stew recipe is a mishmash of recipes I like from Looneyspoons, Black Feather, and others. That is the beauty of cooking: you can adjust the recipe for what you like or for what your clients like (e.g. if you feel strongly about meat in your meals, you can sauté chicken and add it to this recipe). You can bring more fresh ingredients, if you aren’t having to portage or hike long distances. You can bring more dried ingredients, if you are portaging or hiking long distances.
Serves: 6 really hungry people or 8 less hungry folks
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Tools
- Two stoves or one stove with two burners or a fire (note: I like to cook over a stove. If you like cooking over fire, go for it.)
- One large pot or wok
- One medium pot
- One cast iron pan
- Matches, fuel, pot holder, fire gloves
Ingredients
- 1 cup of liquid (i.e. vegetable broth, chicken broth, coconut milk, etc.) – I’ll typically use vegetable broth made from a bouillon cube.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- At least 1 clove of garlic crushed and chopped – I’m a more-garlic-the-better person; if you are too add more garlic to taste.
- 1 sweet potato, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 lemon, sliced into 8 wedges
- 1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes (all contents emptied into its own Nalgene bottle for transport)
- 1-8 oz. can artichoke hearts (all contents emptied into its own Nalgene bottle for transport)
- 1-8 oz. can sliced black olives (all contents emptied into its own Nalgene bottle for transport)
- 1-14 oz. can chickpeas (rinsed and emptied into its own Nalgene bottle for transport)
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, halved
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- Pinch of chili flakes
- Pinch of saffron
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 box of couscous
Cooking Instructions
- Fire up one stove. In your large pot or wok, heat up the olive oil and then sauté the onion (until translucent) and garlic (only a couple of minutes).
- Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, red pepper, diced tomatoes, and all of the spices except for the saffron. Spice measurements are guidelines only. Add more of what you like, less of what you don’t. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add your liquid (vegetable broth in my case), prunes, apricots, and liquid from the artichoke Nalgene.
- Cover the pot and lower the temperature. Simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables can be pierced easily with a fork.
- Stir in the artichokes, olives, brown sugar, and saffron. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Fire up the other stove. Toast the almonds in a dry cast iron pan. This will go quickly, so don’t walk away from them. Set the pan aside.
- On the other stove, boil enough water in the medium pot to meet the instructions that come with the couscous. Turn the stove off, pour in the couscous, cover, and set the pot aside for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork.
- Serve the Moroccan stew over the couscous and garnish with toasted almonds and a lemon wedge.
Enjoy!
Book a trip with us. We look forward to slowing down with you.