Oil ( page 54 ) or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cloves Poached Garlic ( page 54 )
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 medium eggplant cut into ½-inch pieces, salted if desired (see page 17 )
2 medium zucchini cut into ½-inch pieces
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red pepper, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped green olives, optional
One 15-ounce can tomato juice (see Note)
Salt and black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion through the celery until they are softened, aromatic, and starting to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the eggplant through the juice and stir to combine. The mixture will look damp but not overly liquid.
3. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir after 4 hours, if you wish.
4. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
NOTE : If you don’t have tomato juice, use 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 tablespoon tomato paste instead.
Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Stew with Couscous
if not using couscous
I ’M FASCINATED BY the Moroccan tagine—not the food itself but the volcano-shaped cooking pot it is made in. I started looking into the spices used in Moroccan cooking and thought that instead of the tagine I don’t have, I would use the slow cooker I do have to recreate a Moroccan-inspired dish. I think it works really well, with warming spices and not too much heat, luscious plump raisins, and tender chickpeas. I have no idea if it tastes like anything you’d get in Morocco or cooked in a tagine, but it is very satisfying. You’ll need to pull the aromatics out of the stew at the end of cooking, so poke the whole cloves into the pieces of ginger to make them easier to find when the time comes to remove them. Alternatively, make a cheesecloth bag with all the whole flavorings inside so they will be easier to take out. If you don’t have enough liquid after draining, use water or stock to make up the 1½ cups. If you don’t want to serve with the couscous as written, discard the liquid drained (or save it for something else) and make the Israeli Couscous with Almonds and Parsley ( page 218 ) as your side dish.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 medium carrots cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8 hours or overnight, drained, and rinsed
1 / 3 cup golden raisins
6 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 / 8 teaspoon cayenne, optional
2 bay leaves
3 whole peeled garlic cloves
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Salt and black pepper
1 / 3 cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1½ cups couscous
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Combine the onion through the whole cloves in the slow cooker; stir well.
2. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
3. Drain, reserving 1½ cups of the liquid, and return the vegetables, chickpeas, and additional liquid to the slow cooker.
4. Remove the bay leaves, garlic cloves, ginger pieces, jalapeño pieces, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required. Stir in the parsley and tomatoes, cover, and let stand while preparing the couscous.
5. Heat the reserved 1½ cups of liquid to boiling in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Combine with the couscous, cover, and stand
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cloves Poached Garlic ( page 54 )
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 medium eggplant cut into ½-inch pieces, salted if desired (see page 17 )
2 medium zucchini cut into ½-inch pieces
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red pepper, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped green olives, optional
One 15-ounce can tomato juice (see Note)
Salt and black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion through the celery until they are softened, aromatic, and starting to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the eggplant through the juice and stir to combine. The mixture will look damp but not overly liquid.
3. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir after 4 hours, if you wish.
4. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.
NOTE : If you don’t have tomato juice, use 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 tablespoon tomato paste instead.
Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Stew with Couscous
if not using couscous
I ’M FASCINATED BY the Moroccan tagine—not the food itself but the volcano-shaped cooking pot it is made in. I started looking into the spices used in Moroccan cooking and thought that instead of the tagine I don’t have, I would use the slow cooker I do have to recreate a Moroccan-inspired dish. I think it works really well, with warming spices and not too much heat, luscious plump raisins, and tender chickpeas. I have no idea if it tastes like anything you’d get in Morocco or cooked in a tagine, but it is very satisfying. You’ll need to pull the aromatics out of the stew at the end of cooking, so poke the whole cloves into the pieces of ginger to make them easier to find when the time comes to remove them. Alternatively, make a cheesecloth bag with all the whole flavorings inside so they will be easier to take out. If you don’t have enough liquid after draining, use water or stock to make up the 1½ cups. If you don’t want to serve with the couscous as written, discard the liquid drained (or save it for something else) and make the Israeli Couscous with Almonds and Parsley ( page 218 ) as your side dish.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 medium carrots cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8 hours or overnight, drained, and rinsed
1 / 3 cup golden raisins
6 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 / 8 teaspoon cayenne, optional
2 bay leaves
3 whole peeled garlic cloves
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Salt and black pepper
1 / 3 cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1½ cups couscous
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Combine the onion through the whole cloves in the slow cooker; stir well.
2. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
3. Drain, reserving 1½ cups of the liquid, and return the vegetables, chickpeas, and additional liquid to the slow cooker.
4. Remove the bay leaves, garlic cloves, ginger pieces, jalapeño pieces, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required. Stir in the parsley and tomatoes, cover, and let stand while preparing the couscous.
5. Heat the reserved 1½ cups of liquid to boiling in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop. Combine with the couscous, cover, and stand
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