Chickpea Stew over Moroccan Couscous Recipe

nourishing our bellies with the sweet taste of late summer

*photo by Louis Hansel

This lovely dish from our AHN recipe files is actually perfect for late summer. The sweet flavour of its orange veggies, and the warmth of its spices, support the stomach and spleen (ST-SP), the organs most in need of attention and regeneration at this time of year.

You may also serve the stew over millet, a grain that is especially nourishing to the ST-SP.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpeas, cooked

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup onion, cut into thick half moons

  • 1 cup leek, cut in thick diagonals

  • 1 1/2 cups carrot, cut in thick diagonals

  • 1 cup fennel, quartered

  • 1 cup hard squash, seeded & diced into large chunks

  • 1 cup cabbage, quartered

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins

  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger

  • 3/4 tsp cumin

  • 1/4 tsp saffron

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

  • water or stock to cover

  • sea salt to taste

  • 1 cup celery, cut in thick diagonals

  • 1 cup couscous (white or whole wheat)

  • 1 cup water or stock

  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

  • 1 tsp fresh lemon or orange zest    

Directions

  1. Heat a heavy stew pot and coat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté onions over medium heat, stirring gently, for 3 minutes. Add leek, carrot, fennel, squash, cabbage and raisins; continue sautéing for 5 minutes. Add the spices and mix thoroughly.

  2. Add cooked chickpeas and water or stock to cover. Bring to a boil, season with sea salt and cook until the vegetables are tender. Add celery during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

  3. While the stew is simmering, combine couscous and 1 tsp olive oil in a heatproof bowl, mixing well between the palms of your hands. Bring the 1 cup of water or stock to a boil and add couscous. Cover bowl immediately and let couscous stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in parsley and lemon or orange zest.

  4. To serve, mound couscous in a large shallow bowl and spoon stew over it with some broth.

  5. Enjoy!

Patrica Lopez