Moroccan Stew

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It's thisclose to summer and I'm sharing a stew recipe with you! I know, totally not the right season but y'all - it's so.good. I couldn't pass up the chance to share it.

Moroccan flavors are one of my favorites and honestly, an entire cuisine I think a lot of people overlook. The flavors are so delicious and smell amazing together. I love how perfectly the sweet and salty pair together in many Moroccan inspired meals and this is no exception.

Browned meatballs are slow cooked with carrots, tomatoes, chickpeas, cranberries, celery, and onion to create this gorgeous red pot of goodness. Right at the end, throw in some briny green olives and cook up some couscous and you've got a big bowl of goodness.

Jason appreciated the inclusion of meat but I would have happily eaten this with just chickpeas. Have I mentioned my deep deep love for chickpeas? If you're vegetarian - or just looking for a filling meat-free meal - the meatballs can easily be left behind.

This makes a huge portion - we {happily} ate on this for days but if you have a small family, you may want tweak the amounts.

Don't be scared by the ingredient list! You likely have most of these ingredients already on hand. And isn't it fun to put your stocked spice cabinet to use?

Moroccan Stew
For the meatballs:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1-2 lbs ground lamb or beef
1 tsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

For the stew:
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red onion, diced
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup dried cranberries (could sub in raisins)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 small red chile, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup green olives

In a large mixing bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk until moist. Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mix well. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

To the dutch oven, add the carrot, celery, garlic, and onion. Saute until the onions are soft then add the canned tomatoes and all ingredients through the salt and pepper. Nestle the browned meatballs in the tomato mixture, cover, and place in oven and let cook an hour.

After an hour, add the chickpeas. Lower oven to 325 degrees, cover, and place back in for another hour. In the last 10 minutes, add the green olives.

Serve with couscous.

Source: Adapted from Rock Recipes