Moroccan Stew

Glorious september day out there! The air is starting to crisp up. I was up really early yesterday and out by the water taking engagement pictures of my nephew and his bride to be. Lovely! They turned out just grand. I will share some soon:)

The cooler temps have me in a cooking mood. Made this in the slow cooker yesterday and my house smelled like the casbah! Delicious. It is even better today. These sorts of things usually are, aren't they, give them a day to sit and come to themselves:) I did not have any apricots, but it was still yummy. A very sweet stew. You can replace the beef with chickpeas and veggie broth to make it vegetarian. You can add combine chickpeas with the beef also. This is very versatile. I also threw in some extra cherry tomates I had on hand. My daughter liked it wth grated parmesan on top, not very African but I guess we can call it fusion food.

Moroccan Beef Stew

1.5 pound stewing beef, chopped into bite sized pieces 750 gr
1/4 cup all purpose flour 50 mL
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 parsnip, chopped
1 sweet potato , chopped
1/2 small butternut squash,chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 28oz can tomatoes, chopped ( 796 ml)
1/2 cup raisins 125 ml
1 tsp grated fresh ginger 5ml
1/2 tsp cinnamon 5ml
1 tsp cumin 10 mL
1 tsp garam masala 5 ml
pinch of allspice
pinch of nutmeg
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 cups beef stock 500 mL* check after a few hours, may need to add some more.
Salt and pepper to taste
(1 cup each dried apricots and pitted prunes 250 mL) optional, add with veggies
Chopped fresh parsley
Slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Toss beef with the flour in slow cooker.
2. Add all veggies, tomatoes, spices and broth......stir.
3. Cook in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or until meat is cooked and veggies tender.
4. Top with slivered almonds and chopped parsley. Serve over couscous, rice or mashed potatoes:) Your house will smell fantastic.



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