Moroccan Vegetable and Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large Carrot, roughly chopped
- 1/4 – 1/2 head of Cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 large Onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground Coriander
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp ground Tumeric
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dried lentils
- Juice of 1/4 lemon (2 tbsp)
- 4 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 handfull of fresh Spinach
- Salt to taste
- Olive Oil
Preparation
- Soak lentils in a bowl of water for 1 hr prior to cooking.
- Over medium-high heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil to a thick bottomed crock pot (dutch oven, cast iron pot) and saute onions and carrots, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste, cauliflower, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until tomato paste has started browning on the bottom of the pot. This is flavor country.
- Add the tomatoes and de-glaze, scraping all the tomato paste from the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable stock and bring just to a boil. Add dried lentils, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for 1/2 hr. Add the cauliflower and cook for an additional 30 minutes (1 hour total cooking time) or until lentils reach desired consistency.
- Add spinach, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Add more stock if desired. You can also use a fork to mash some of the lentils to thicken up the stew.