Since arriving home from our American trip a few weeks ago, I have been ‘nesting’ in my home, cooking, baking, moving things about, filing, organizing, simplifying, and creating things. This was inspired by my stay in Sebastopol and that lingering sense of being held and nurtured and a deep inner feeling of peace I felt there.
This tasty Moroccan stew was inspired by Kristin, who made it for dinner one rainy, chilly evening. I have been making it weekly for Jonathan to take to work, for the children’s school lunches, or in the evenings for a warming, cosy, comforting meal.
This was a recipe Kristin had written down for me and sent by ‘snail’ mail years ago, but I had never gotten around to making it. So when I arrived home from our trip, I set about rifling through my drawers, walls, cupboards, and mirrors, where I have all of her artwork and things stuck – to find it. I keep all her letters as they hold such soft, peaceful beauty and the art inside always inspires. She says I am her muse, but she is my teacher in many ways – I admire her authenticity to this yogic lifestyle and teachings and her simple living as a householder. She has the ability to live with such modesty and be surrounded by natural beauty, as you can see from the images below, but she still maintains a balance as she moves in this world. I am ever grateful to be moving on this path with her.
– Sebastopol, California.
tips
- Freshly grinding the spices where possible makes all the difference in the flavours of the finished dish. The cinnamon and cumin have an exotic aroma, flooding your senses with a ‘little of the divine’.
- Use any combination of vegetables – carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, beans – to make at least 5 cups of finely chopped.
- Cooking times may vary depending on how big or small the vegetables are cut.
Kristin’s cinnamon-spiced Moroccan stew with couscous
serves 4
ingredients for the couscous
1½ cups/270g couscous
2¾ cups boiling water
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp ghee/butter
¼ cup roughly chopped almonds
moroccan stew
⅓ cup olive oil
2 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 flat tsp turmeric powder
1 heaped tsp cinnamon – preferably Indian – a spicy, strong cinnamon
1 heaped tsp good quality paprika
2 sticks/100g celery
1 large/220g red bell pepper
2 large/260g tomatoes
2 medium/200g carrots
1 small/105g sweet potato/wedge of pumpkin
1 cup/130g green beans
2 cups water
¾ cup/90g cup pre-cooked chickpeas
2 heaped Tbsp jaggery
1 heaped tsp fine rock salt
a handful of chopped parsley or coriander
prepare the couscous
- Place the couscous, ghee, and boiling water in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine, cover, and allow to sit for 20 minutes, undisturbed.
prepare the stew
- In a small pan, dry-roast the cumin seeds until slightly golden. Allow to cool and grind in a mortar and pestle. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, and paprika—set aside.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the celery and red pepper until soft. Add the tomatoes and spices, stir to combine, and saute for a minute.
- Add the carrot and sweet potato, water and pre-cooked chickpeas, simmer for 7 minutes, then add the green beans, cover and simmer on low until the vegetables are slightly softened, 8 – 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and jaggery, stir in the chopped parsley/coriander.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork, and garnish with the roughly chopped almonds.
serve
Scoop a generous helping of couscous and a bountiful spoon of Moroccan stew, and garnish with more almonds and freshly chopped coriander or parsley. Add a few good rounds of pepper and, if desired, a crumbling of feta or grated parmesan.
Goodness shared from Stacey
